Response to Class Discussion on Science

To reflect on the class discussion, I have put a lot of thought into the idea of knowledge, and how it is transferred between people properly. Even in modern day society, it's very hard to know when something is honest or at least partially true. Especially when it's coming from a person, rather than a book, or some form of inscription. In the times of Isaac Newton, the church acted as a full form of government, and was able to enforce laws as if they were running the world. Newton is probably one of the most prestigious scientists of our time, but he was so afraid that he would run into trouble with the church for publicly announcing his beliefs, that he hid everything he had ever worked on. Newton was very church oriented, and he had nothing against the church, but yet he was still able to fight his religious beliefs and many a time prove the laws of the church wrong. But it was only after his death that people found his knowledge and all his writings. And it's parts of history likes this that show how people so blinded by faith can try to control knowledge and enforce their own beliefs. I'm sure that if Newton came out with his beliefs, that we would've been outcasted, or even killed. Information was almost at a halt in that period, because nothing could be invented without some sort of religious ruler looking over your shoulder. Some theorize that without the church around in europe, 1,000 years of development would have occurred because both the dark ages, and the watching eye of the church in Newton's time would not have existed. Knowledge is fragile, and as soon as you give it away freely, it can become so twisted that the original idea could be destroyed.

Sources: In the past I have done some research on Newton and his works in comparison to the European Church.