I couldn't find a detailed excerpt in books, I need it on monday, pls help me....
2006-07-01 04:14:12 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The Clockwork Universe Theory is a theory, established by Isaac Newton, as to the origins of the universe.
A "clockwork universe" can be thought of as being a clock wound up by God and ticking along, as a perfect machine, with its gears governed by the laws of physics.
What sets this theory apart from others is the idea that God's only contribution to the universe was to set everything in motion, and from there the laws of science took hold and have governed every sequence of events since that time. This idea was very popular in the Enlightenment, when scientists realized that Newton's laws of motion, including the law of universal gravitation, could explain the behavior of the solar system.
A notable exclusion from this theory though is free will, since all things have already been set in motion and are just parts of a predictable machine. Newton feared that this notion of "everything is predetermined" would lead to atheism.
This theory was undermined by the second law of thermodynamics ( the total entropy of any isolated thermodynamic system tends to increase over time, approaching a maximum value) and quantum physics with its unpredictable random behavior.
2006-07-01 04:18:27 · answer #1 · answered by Jungle Resource 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That quotation doesn't go against his clockwork universe idea, it says the same thing as you said in your first sentence (a universe that follows a set of precise rules, started off by some kind of God). Why do you think there is a contradiction? Newton was a very religious man and could not bring himself to believe there was no God. He was wrong to believe in divine creation, but not self-contradictory. >>@red rose - the part where he warns that the universe must not be thought of as a machine or a great clock contradicts what he said in his clockwork universe theory. take a good look, sir(or possibly ma'am.)<< He said it should not be thought of as a "mere" machine. He was cautioning the reader not to think *only* of the clockwork aspect but to keep in mind the God he believed started it all. He thought the universe was not *just* clockwork but also a reflection of the mind of God, something he believed should not be overlooked. I'm female (I don't see that makes any difference) and your sarcasm is unnecessary. I *did* take a "good look" but it seems you did not understand my explanation.
2016-03-17 23:34:36 · answer #2 · answered by Margaret 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Clockwork Universe
2016-12-12 05:25:56 · answer #3 · answered by kirker 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This Site Might Help You.
RE:
What is Newton's clockwork universe theory?
I couldn't find a detailed excerpt in books, I need it on monday, pls help me....
2015-08-20 16:41:07 · answer #4 · answered by Siegfried 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since what you are after is a resource, and not an explanation:
At home in the universe : the search for laws of self-organization and complexity
by Stuart A Kauffman
* Type: English : Book Book
* Publisher: New York : Oxford University Press, 1995.
* ISBN: 0195095995
* OCLC: 31646998
2006-07-01 04:39:55 · answer #5 · answered by computrec 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Newton saw that the principles he had discovered implied that the universe was self-sustaining, in the sense that no divine intervention was required to keep things running. Newtonian mechanics also implies that if we knew the position and momentum of every particle in the universe, we could predict the state of the universe at any time in the future. Quantum mechanics eventually showed that this is not possible.
2006-07-01 07:53:19 · answer #6 · answered by injanier 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Seriously, use the Internet. It's the largest library/information source in the history of mankind.
2006-07-01 04:18:36 · answer #7 · answered by Thomas C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Basically, God set the ball rolling and then took a hands off policy with the universe.
2006-07-01 04:18:54 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋