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Conversations with Tyler

Patricia Fara on Newton, Scientific Progress, and the Benefits of Unhistoric Acts

Conversations with Tyler

Conversations with Tyler

Society & Culture, Education

4.8 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 February 2021

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Patricia Fara is a historian of science at Cambridge University and well-known for her writings on women in science. Her forthcoming book, Life After Gravity: Isaac Newton's London Career, details the life of the titan of the so-called Scientific Revolution after his famous (though perhaps mythological) discovery under the apple tree. Her work emphasizes science as a long, continuous process composed of incremental contributions–in which women throughout history have taken a crucial part–rather than the sole province of a few monolithic innovators.

Patricia joined Tyler to discuss why Newton left Cambridge to run The Royal Mint, why he was so productive during the Great Plague,  why the "Scientific Revolution" should instead be understood as a gradual process, what the Antikythera device tells us about science in the ancient world, the influence of Erasmus Darwin on his grandson, why more people should know Dorothy Hodgkin, how George Eliot inspired her to commit unhistoric acts, why she opposes any kind of sex-segregated schooling, her early experience in a startup, what modern students of science can learn from studying Renaissance art, the reasons she considers Madame Lavoisier to be the greatest female science illustrator, the unusual work habit brought to her attention by house guests, the book of caricatures she'd like to write next, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links, or watch the full video.

Recorded January 15th, 2021

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Conversations with Tyler is produced by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University,

0:08.4

bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems.

0:12.5

Learn more at mercatis.org.

0:15.2

And for more conversations, including videos, transcripts, and upcoming dates, visit

0:20.4

ConversationsWithT Tyler.com.

0:25.5

Hello everyone and welcome back to Conversations with Tyler.

0:29.0

I'm very happy to be here today with Patricia Farah.

0:32.1

I've read and enjoyed all of her books.

0:34.5

She is a historian of science at Cambridge University.

0:38.2

Her next forthcoming book is called Life After Gravity, Isaac Newton's London Career.

0:44.1

She's also well-known for her writings on women in science, and she appears often on

0:48.9

BBC, typically on topics related to science.

0:52.9

Patricia, welcome.

0:53.9

Well, thank you very much for inviting me.

0:55.9

I'm very glad to be on the show.

0:57.8

Let's start with Isaac Newton.

0:59.7

How was it that he died rich?

1:02.0

He earned his money from several different ways.

1:04.8

When he went down to London, he earned far more than he ever did as a Cambridge professor

1:09.0

because he was running the London Mint.

1:12.2

So he got a fat salary for that.

1:14.8

He also got a premium, a reward for every single gold coin that was minted.

...

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