His life is best known today for scientific genius, but less recognized is his engagement with institutions, legal rules, and criminal behavior. Isaac Newton and the Age of ReasonBorn in 1642 and educated at Cambridge, Newton transformed natural philosophy into a disciplined inquiry with deep foundations in experimental science, mathematics, and reasoning. At the same time, he spent the rest of his life tightening Mint procedures and security during the recoinage drive. Newton cultivated informants, hired private “thief-takers,” and went undercover in infamous taverns and markets to trace criminal networks that were flooding London with counterfeit coins. This was a massive case at the time, and Newton successfully managed to secure a conviction and the death sentence.