The publication of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica is widely considered an extraordinary event in the history of science. In the Principia, Newton introduced a system of mechanical explanation of the world that revolutionized physics. Of particular importance in the Principia was Newton's mathematical demonstration of the existence of the force of gravity, which he demonstrated to be at work in a wide range of phenomena. But as revolutionary as Newton's discovery and demonstration were, the Principia also represented a revolution in the goals of science. Newton's Principia helped shift the course of science from the effort to “find first causes” to the attempt to “establish a set of principles…for predicting and retrodicting the phenomena of the physical world.” While the publication of Principia Mathematica can be seen as a unique revolutionary moment in the history of science, it is also important to recognize the historical context that predicted its publication. During the 17th century, scientific research was changing in a way that created space for a genius like Newton to make and publish his discoveries. Central to these changes was the emergence of a “scientific community,” a group of individuals linked by the common goal of finding new scientific knowledge. Newton actively participated in the emerging scientific community, as a member and future president of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge. In this article, I will investigate the role that the Royal Society for the Promotion of Natural Knowledge played in the production, publication and dissemination of Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica, his major work. I will argue that the Royal Society favored its...... half of paper......4).Outram, Dorinda. “Science and the Enlightenment: the order of God and the understanding of man”, in The Enlightenment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005.Snobelen, Stephen D. “On Reading Isaac Newton's Principia in the Eighteenth Century,” Endeavor, vol. 22, no. 4 (1998). The Royal Society, “A brief History of the Society”, The Royal Society, http://royancheciety.org/page.asp?id=2176 (accessed 10 October 2009).Thrower, Norman JW “Samuel Pepys FRS (1633 -1703) and the Royal Society”, Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, vol. 57, no. 1 (January 2003). Whiteside, D.T. “The Prehistory of the Principia from 1664 to 1686”, Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, vol. 45, no. 1 (January 1991). Wigelsworth, Jeffrey R. “Competition to Popularize Newtonian Philosophy: John Theophilus Desguliers and the Preservation of Reputation,” Isis 94 (2003).