Richard S. Westfall

About the Author

Richard S. Westfall was a distinguished historian of science whose meticulous scholarship illuminated the lives and minds of the era's greatest thinkers. Born in 1924 in Illinois, he earned his PhD from Yale University and spent much of his career at Indiana University, where he became a leading authority on the Scientific Revolution. Westfall's deep engagement with primary sources and philosophical underpinnings of scientific discovery set his work apart, blending rigorous analysis with engaging narrative. His seminal biography, Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton (Cambridge Paperback Library), remains a cornerstone in the study of the brilliant yet enigmatic physicist, offering profound insights into Newton's intellectual world and personal struggles. Westfall's contributions continue to influence scholars exploring the intersections of science, religion, and philosophy in the seventeenth century.