Isaac Newton

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Use constants for backward projection

  Decisions

  He applies a fixed rate of change to known current positions to determine where things must have been in the past.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended: To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great  (opens in a new tab)

• Symbols Reflect Origin Stories

  Brand

  Early products and currencies often use symbols, like a ship on a coin, to preserve the history of how a venture or colony began.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Minos_ alone was that _Jupiter_ who was most famous among the _Greeks_ for Dominion and Justice, being the greatest King in all _Greece_ in those days, and the only legislator.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Reject unrealistic growth rates

  Decisions

  He rejects historical timelines where kings supposedly reigned for improbable lengths of time without significant actions.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Those Ages could not be earlier than the invention and use of the four metals in _Greece_, from whence they had their names”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Technological Catalysts for Consolidation

  Technology

  The invention of new tools often leads to the transition from isolated living to organized, unified societies.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended: To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great  (opens in a new tab)

• Synthesize multiple data sources

  Learning

  Newton cross-references accounts from different historians and poets to identify patterns and verify the identity of historical figures.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended: To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great  (opens in a new tab)

• Consolidate to dominate

  Strategy

  Small competing entities eventually merge or get conquered by a single dominant force that unites the territory.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms Amended: To which is Prefix'd, A Short Chronicle from the First Memory of Things in Europe, to the Conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great  (opens in a new tab)

• Infrastructure enables administrative control

  Management

  Building canals and raising city grounds allows a leader to organize a territory into manageable units and centralize justice and trade.

  Supporting quotes

  • “it is probable that the merchants of that sea were not forward to discover their Arts and Sciences, upon which their trade depended”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Reject Improbable Outliers

  Risk

  If a theory requires individuals to live to impossible ages like 180 or 200 years, the underlying timeline or model is likely flawed.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I take the book of _Esdras_ to be the best interpreter of the book of _Ezra”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.