The scene: London, 1696. A smoky pub near the Royal Mint.
John Locke, the philosopher of liberty, raises his tankard. Across the table, Sir Isaac Newton, newly appointed Warden of the Mint, leans in.
They’ve been at it for hours. Not over politics or physics—but money.
“What gives it value, Isaac?” Locke asks, swishing the ale in his mug. “A pound of silve…