The Unseen - A History of the Invisible

BBC Radio 4 LW

Original version

BBC Radio 4 FM

BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

BBC Radio 4

Radio 4

Radio 4 (FM)

The Unseen - A History of the Invisible: Invisible Forces

Invisible Forces

BBC Radio 4 - The Unseen - A History of the Invisible, Invisible Forces

Philip Ball examines the occult influences on Isaac Newton's work on invisible forces.

Science writer Philip Ball explores the invisible - a space where magic and science meet. Here he examines the influence of the occult on Isaac Newton's work on invisible forces.

Science writer and broadcaster Philip Ball sets out on a quest to explore the peculiar world of the invisible, a mysterious realm where magic and science meet.

In this first episode, Philip finds himself face to face with the death mask of Sir Isaac Newton. At the Royal Society in London he meets librarian Keith Moore who reveals that Newton’s work on invisible forces such as gravity was influenced by his secret fascination with the occult.

The notion that the world was governed by invisible universal forces was a central feature of natural magic. Newton was scorned by critics such as Gottfried Leibniz, who labelled him an occultist, yet he was able to mathematise his invisible forces and prove them to be very real. So the idea of an invisible force acting across empty space didn’t get consigned to the realm of superstitious magic - instead, it became a central feature of physics.


Presenter: Philip Ball
Producer: Max O’Brien
A Juniper production for BBC Radio 4


Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Science writer Philip Ball explores the invisible - a space where magic and science meet.

Accessibility links

Programme Index

The Unseen - A History of the Invisible

Invisible Forces

Genres

Series

BBC Radio 4 FM

About BBC Radio 4