A likely autistic individual became a source of vital knowledge for the world and an architect of economic miracles for his homeland.
True Values
The creator of physical science and a remarkable mathematician is recognized for numerous contributions in mechanics, optics, astronomy, and economics. During the “plague years,” the author of the laws of motion and universal gravitation developed the theory of color, created the reflecting telescope, and first depicted our planet as an oblate spheroid. In higher mathematics, the founder of classical physics made significant advancements in differential and integral calculus, methods for determining the roots of functions, the classification of cubic values in algebra, and other discoveries. Some of these were published only 20 to 40 years after they were conceived on the scientist’s desk. His first scientific work on the fundamentals of analysis was only recognized by descendants 300 years later!
A copy of Newton’s reflecting telescope, which he gifted to the Royal Society in 1672.
“I find nothing appealing about fame, even if I deserved it,” the 27-year-old Newton reflected, aware of his own values from a young age. “Perhaps notoriety would increase the number of my acquaintances, but that is precisely what I am trying to avoid above all else.”
A premature semi-orphan, he was born on January 4, 1643. His father passed away before he was born. From an early age, named after his grandfather, Isaac was left to fend for himself. His mother was busy with three children from a new marriage and sent her eldest son away for schooling from their hometown of Woolsthorpe to the neighboring town of Grantham. Nothing in the sickly and frail child, who was even delayed in baptism, hinted at the future longevity of a man who would die peacefully in his sleep at 84, free from illness and with a clear mind. The gifted boy grew up in the home of a local apothecary. Isaac was good at drawing, reading, counting, and crafting, remaining focused on what concerned him. Throughout his long life, Newton never traveled outside of England, as everything that interested him resided in his own mind.
Woolsthorpe Manor, the house where Newton was born.
In His Own World
Even in adulthood, due to his character traits and individual nature, the theorist was reluctant to publicize his scientific achievements, …to avoid drawing attention to himself. Incompetent attacks drove the scientist into depression, draining his energy on unnecessary disputes. Scientific controversies, intrigues, and conversations weighed heavily on him—any interaction with people was torture for this “armchair scientist.” Newton even requested not to receive letters from the Royal Society (the prototype of the first Academy of Sciences), threatening that he would cease to publish any of his scientific discoveries.
Today, experts at Oxford and Cambridge universities have identified signs of autism in Newton’s behavior. A person with Asperger’s syndrome is obsessed with solving complex problems and lacks social skills. It is known that the scholar was sparing with words and emotions, never married, and was not inclined to make friends.
Isaac Newton in his later years, 1712, portrait by Sir James Thornhill.
He exhibited an external aloofness and constant internal focus, which made him seem inattentive: he could invite guests, go to the pantry for wine, and not return to the table, instead heading to his study if an idea struck him along the way. Newton was so absorbed in his work that he often forgot about food and sleep. If students did not attend his lectures, he would deliver prepared material to an empty classroom. Conversely, opponents of the autism theory view Newton’s desire for solitude as merely a sign of introversion and an intellectual’s intolerance for idle chatter.
An illustration of a dispersive prism separating white light into the colors of the spectrum, as discovered by Newton.
Money Loves Accounting
The ascetic Newton was shaped by conditions of self-restraint; he was frugal but not greedy: he did not refuse to help young colleagues and cared for his family, to whom he bequeathed a significant portion of his wealth before his death. At the end of his life, the “master of numbers,” who calculated the orbits of comets and spent forty years writing “The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms,” was ready to personally compensate the victims of a financial fraud from which he himself had suffered.
Newton’s passion for scientific inquiry was combined with a pragmatic and sensible approach, which was vividly demonstrated during his tenure as the head of the English Mint and president of the Royal Society. In the responsible leadership positions he held simultaneously for nearly three decades, his abilities as a skilled administrator, consultant, engineer, researcher, and detective were revealed.
In 1696, Isaac Newton was appointed as a warden at the Royal Mint, and three years later, he led this financial institution for 28 years, pulling England’s monetary system out of a deep crisis. The critical nature of the situation he faced required decisive practical actions—swiftly replacing the entire volume of the country’s silver currency.
A severe ailment of the English economy in the 17th century was the debasement of coins, which were then minted by hand, deviating in size and shape from the standard and lacking a rim. This was exploited by criminals who profited from clipping the edges of coins. Since 1662, English coins of the correct shape and with a defined rim were minted by a French stamping machine; however, this did not solve the problem, as both new and old coins of the same denomination were in circulation. People paid with cheaper money while hoarding the new coins as precious metal, harming the state. Analyzing complex systems and deriving the fundamental laws of their functioning allowed the creator of “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy” to achieve success in the economic realm as well.
Newton’s own copy of “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy,” now housed in the Wren Library at Trinity College, Cambridge.
The Great Recoinage
Amidst the war with France, the English economy was suffering, living costs were rising, and the national debt was increasing. During a period of mass bankruptcies, the then-president of the Royal Society, Charles Montagu, who had studied with Isaac Newton at Trinity College, found himself in the position of Chancellor of the Exchequer. The chief treasurer initiated the “Great Recoinage,” aimed at restoring order to the country’s currency circulation.
Defective coins were removed from the monetary system, initially exchanged at face value and then at actual value based on weight. However, due to the low discipline of the refiners, the release of new coins was delayed, and the authorities anticipated protests due to a lack of money among the English. Newton had to personally oversee the process. He worked according to a scientifically developed plan, from four in the morning, for 16 hours a day. The mathematician personally calculated the resources of gold and silver blanks, regulated all operations, reduced the minting time by twenty times (to one second), and classified the positions regarding the state’s monetary system over two centuries.
Simultaneously, Newton uncovered thieves and counterfeiters; even as warden, he obtained permission to open his own prison cells and investigative department at the Mint. This led to the creation of an unprecedented police bureau for uncovering financial crimes. Newton organized a system of informants and personally exposed around a hundred offenders.
Thanks to the technological advancements introduced by the scientist, the issuance of money in his country quadrupled and then doubled again. By 1698, the Mint had issued twice as many coins as in the previous thirty years. Newton saved the monetary system from devaluation and England from crisis. The fact that this nation later became the richest in the world is partly due to Sir Newton.