“Whenever serious and competent people need to get things done in the real world, all considerations of tradition and protocol fly out the window.”
The narratives in Quicksilver delve into the changing times in Western civilization, the change into the scientific era. The characters explored are either at the threshold of making discoveries through freedom of thought and exploration. With historical characters such as Leibniz and Isaac Newton, the novel demonstrates the diversity of scientific and philosophical ideas that would change the course of history. Moreover, the fictional characters are also intertwined in the new era of science, mathematics, and technology. Thus, the assertion expresses the concept of abandoning the middle ages and embracing the new paradigm shift.
“This is one of the two great labyrinths into which human minds are drawn: the question of free will versus predestination.”
Waterhouse engages with scholars, peers, and scientists as they grapple with major philosophical questions that are yet to be concluded or already established. Through his journey as he observes the dynamic of religion and politics in Europe and what dogmas and constructs will endure. The exploration of knowledge and the conflict between previous beliefs and new discoveries bring forth a myriad of philosophical quandaries. Thus in the statement Waterhouse acknowledges the great basis of philosophical exploration, the question of determinism versus free will.
“Revolution is like the wheeling of stars round the pole. It is driven by unseen powers, it is inexorable, it moves all things at once, and men of discrimination may understand it, predict it, benefit from it.”
The narratives demonstrate the inevitability of human progress through the lives of great thinkers, scientists, and citizens of old political systems. The idea of revolution is explored through historical contexts such as the Glorious Revolution and the French revolution. The book delves into a period when political dynamics were changing drastically as progress was taking place in other fields and realms. Thus, the argument that the preservation of antiquated power systems is always met with a radical revolution as human progress is inevitable.
