A Historical Analysis on the Study of Optics from Pre Socratic Times through the Age of Newton by Adam R

Robert Hooke received a copy of Newton's letter to Oldenbourg, and replied, "I have perused the Excellent Discourse of Mr. Newton about colours and Refractions, and I was not a little pleased with the niceness and curiosity of his observations." Although the critics believed that Newton's doctrine was ingenious and thought provoking, they did not believe that Newton was correct in claiming his certainty in the matter, and they raised points about his theory in which they believed needed revisions, and offered Newton unwanted alternative hypotheses.
<Tab/>Newton, who was known to be somewhat reclusive, was annoyed about the debates over his theory of white light and colors. This caused Newton to become even more reclusive, and shy when it came to publishing his work. For almost thirty years, Newton remained silent about his philosophy on light and color. From the point of debate in the early 1670's, for the next thirty years, Newton instead worked solely on chemistry, mathematics, theology, and alchemy, leaving optics out of the mix. After developing his comprehensive theory of force and motion, and publishing his famous work, Principia mathematica philosophiae naturalis in 1686-1687, Newton's pre-eminence in the field of natural philosophy was hard to argue with. It was not until Newton was elected president of the Royal Society in 1703, and he was considered one of the leaders in the academic arena, would he feel confident enough to publish any material on the field of optics.
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