  Let $f$ be an isolated singularity at the origin of $\mathbb{C}^n$. One of
many invariants that can be associated with $f$ is its {\L}ojasiewicz exponent
$\mathcal{L}_0 (f)$, which measures, to some extent, the topology of $f$. We
give, for generic surface singularities $f$, an effective formula for
$\mathcal{L}_0 (f)$ in terms of the Newton polyhedron of $f$. This is a
realization of one of Arnold's postulates.
