Sir Isaac Newton was a genius.
As a consequence of this distinction, he was a man with a multitude of interests. One source of fascination for him, was an interest in alchemy, the occult and mysticism.

Although he was elected chairman of the Math Department at Cambridge University, when his "secret library" was discovered, the University would not accept his work into their collection.

They felt that including such non-scientific writings, the scientific community would think less of him, in terms of his credibility and credentials as a scientist.

Point of view: These writings represent a side of Newton that we never get to see, because of their exclusions from the Cambridge, as well as from the Oxford and Harvard University library collections. How sad !!

Newton's Castle Homepage

The key purpose of university libraries collections is to offer information about thinkers and scientists, which can not be found elsewhere. The students and researchers who access these collections, immeasurably enhance their critical thinking, lateral problem solving and deep understanding of these thinkers' and scientists' precepts.

How ironic that these universities, the centers for learning and exploring multiple perspectives of ideas, barred their students from a more complete view of Newton's views and concerns!!

It is antithetical for them to censor a part of Newton's writings which would give this audience a total authentic view of him. When one is a genius, not only is there an interest in scientific and artistic vision or truth, but also there might be, as in the case of Newton, a profound interest in spiritual concerns.

Did the universities have the right to exclude Newton's Secret Writings from their library collections?

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