Scientist and banker benefited from gold mined primarily by enslaved Africans in Brazil, book claims

Summary

A new book, Ricardo’s Dream by Nat Dyer, reveals that Sir Isaac Newton’s wealth was closely tied to the transatlantic slave trade during his tenure as master of the mint at the Bank of England.

Newton profited from gold mined by enslaved Africans in Brazil, much of which was converted into British currency under his oversight, earning him a fee for each coin minted.

While Newton’s scientific legacy remains untarnished, the book highlights his financial entanglement with slavery, a common thread among Britain’s banking and finance elites of the era.

  • Themadbeagle@lemm.eeEnglish
    195·
    29 days ago

    Newtons part in the slave trade is no less a part of the life and history of Newton then his contributions to science, why would we omit it? Calling him a piece of shit and saying he contributed to an awful system does not alter the fact that modern math and physics are where they are currently due to his contributions. Conversely, his contributions to science doesn’t alter the fact he contributed to one of the worst systems in human history.

    • MrNesser@lemmy.worldEnglish
      118·
      29 days ago

      I’m not denying it I’m simply tired of the inevitable outcome that this brings

      1. Remove the statues
      2. Better not teach his theories in schools
      3. Someone HAS to apologise
      4. What about recompense in the form of money

      It’s a long fucking list and the guys been dead for a couple hundred years.

      • GBU_28@lemm.eeEnglish
        51·
        29 days ago

        Not excusing the past, OR the present, but people a few centuries from now will call us monsters.

      • Themadbeagle@lemm.eeEnglish
        1·
        24 days ago

        Lol, I would actually love an example of the “inevitable” outcome everyone always touts. Everyone says it, but I don’t ever see anyone actually stopping talking about these people or making anyone apologize. You are right, he died hundreds of years ago. We don’t need to punish or blame anyone. We also don’t need to stop teaching physics just because it was forged by pieces of shit. If we are going to talk about the people who discovered this stuff at all (which we don’t have to to talk about physics) there is no need to white wash the history. We can be adults and recognize that just because someone did something important doesn’t mean they were perfect or even a good person at all. We don’t chose who makes great changes to our world, but it doesn’t me we have to hide who they or or what they did.

      • Fish [Indiana]@midwest.socialEnglish
        141·
        28 days ago

        Watson and Crick are/were giant pieces of shit. We still teach about them. Many biology teachers will openly state that Watson is a terrible person