Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727), mathemetican and natural philosopher, overturned aristotelian mechanics by establishing his three laws of motion. His mathematical methodology made calculus possible, and his work on optics informed debate on the subject for two hundred years. Whilst Newton, president of the Royal Society from 1703 onwards, is regarded by many as amongst the first modern scientists, his interest in alchemy, religion, and astrology mark him out as a thinker who represents the transition between mediaeval concepts of nature and those of the Enlightenment.