In a nation famous for scientific inventions and advancements, one person is voted regularly as Scotland’s greatest scientist ever: James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). Frequently three people are placed on the mantle-place of world scientific achievement: Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein. Einstein himself said, “I stand not on the shoulders of Newton, but on the shoulders of James Clerk Maxwell.”
Maxwell was born at 14 India St, Edinburgh, and attended the Edinburgh Academy. At the age of only 15, his paper was presented to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, entitled On the Description of Oval Curves, and those having a plurality of Foci. Following a degree in maths and science at the University of Edinburgh, he pursued further qualifications at the University of Cambridge. By 1856 he had become a Professor of Natural Philosophy (Science) at Marischal College in Aberdeen, as well as being appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Awards and promotions accompanied his career as he transferred to become Professor of Natural Philosophy at King’s College, London. It was there that he gave the world’s first demonstration of colour photography in 1861, and then his famous breakthrough in physics came three years later, with his presentation of the Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field. His “Maxwell Equations”, which combined light, magnetism and electricity, became the foundation stone for our technological advances: the inventions by others of the computer, X-ray machine, radio, television, and more, followed his great pioneering work.
Maxwell’s rise to prominence was so astounding that he was chosen as the first Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, and was asked to pioneer the Cavendish Laboratory. As a committed Christian he was keen to make sure that credit was given to God, so at his instigation Psalm 111:2 was inscribed above the door in Latin, with the translation in English being: “Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (KJV). It was the Cavendish Laboratory that produced J.J. Thomson, an Anglican Christian, who discovered the electron, Ernest Rutherford, who discovered the neutron, and the atheists Crick and Watson who decoded the DNA.
Maxwell was a church elder for much of his adult life, showing a humble and devout faith which was expressed in his regular and caring visits to those in hospital. This strong faith was reflected in a prayer which he had written for his personal use:
“Almighty God, who has created man in Thine own image, and made him a living soul that he might seek after Thee, and have dominion over Thy creatures, teach us to study the works of Thy hands, that we may subdue the earth to our use, and strengthen the reason for Thy service; so to receive Thy blessed Word, that we may believe on Him Whom Thou has sent, to give us knowledge of salvation and the remission of our sins. All of which we ask in the name of the same Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
He was repeatedly requested to become a member of the Victoria Institute, a society of Christian scholars and scientists. In March 1875 he received another request by the secretary, which again he turned down. He stated in his reply: “I think men of science as well as other men need to learn from Christ, and I think Christians whose minds are scientific are bound to study science that their view of the glory of God may be as extensive as their being is capable of.” When he was dying with stomach cancer, his last words to his pastor were, “I rest in the death and resurrection of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit.”
Today, his name is honoured with the James Clerk Maxwell building being part of the prestigious King’s Buildings of the University of Edinburgh, and a statue of him was erected in George St in this city.
“Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2, KJV)
Image: The statue of James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), on George St, Edinburgh. Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons