In the late 17th century, Isaac Newton published his “Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy,” laying out three laws of motion that forever changed the way we understand the physical world. In classical physics — the physics of machines — these laws are universal: they describe everything from falling apples to the orbits of satellites. But in the centuries that followed, the language and logic of these laws seeped into political thought. Whether consciously invoked or unconsciously mirrored, Newton’s principles provided a seductive framework for the expansion of empires — and the suppression of resistance — as natural, even inevitable. Newton’s laws landed in a country at relative peace. In England, the relative absence of large natural predators meant communities faced fewer immediate threats to survival. By contrast, in many African regions, the constant presence of predators like lions, hyenas and wild dogs created strong incentives for cooperation and mutual support. Daily survival often depended on coordination, shared knowledge and collective defense, fostering cultures in which collaboration was essential. These societies were by no means uniform; …