Atoms and alchemy : chymistry and the experimental origins of the scientific revolution
TLDR
Newman as mentioned in this paper traces the alchemical roots of Robert Boyle's famous mechanical philosophy and argues that alchemy contributed to the mechanization of nature, a movement that lay at the very heart of scientific discovery.Abstract:
Since the Enlightenment, alchemy has been viewed as a sort of antiscience, disparaged by many historians as a form of lunacy that impeded the development of rational chemistry. But, in "Atoms and Alchemy", William R. Newman - a historian widely credited for reviving recent interest in alchemy - exposes the speciousness of these views and challenges widely held beliefs about the origins of the Scientific Revolution. Tracing the alchemical roots of Robert Boyle's famous mechanical philosophy, Newman shows that alchemy contributed to the mechanization of nature, a movement that lay at the very heart of scientific discovery. Boyle and his predecessors - figures like the mysterious medieval Geber or the Lutheran professor Daniel Sennert - provided convincing experimental proof that matter is made up of enduring particles at the microlevel. At the same time, Newman argues that alchemists created the operational criterion of an "atomic" element as the last point of analysis, thereby contributing a key feature to the development of later chemistry. "Atoms and Alchemy" thus provokes a refreshing debate about the origins of modern science and will be welcomed - and deliberated - by all who are interested in the development of scientific theory and practice.read more
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List of publications on the economic and social history of Great Britain and Ireland published in 2006
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a survey of the state of the arts in London and the date 2006 unless otherwise stated, where the place of publication is London, UK and the year 2006 unless specified.
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The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy
TL;DR: The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy as mentioned in this paper provides a rich and remarkable period in the history of philosophy and will be the authoritative source on medieval philosophy for the next generation of scholars and students alike.
BookDOI
The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy
Stuart Glennan,Phyllis Illari +1 more
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The Fragmentation of Renaissance Occultism and the Decline of Magic
TL;DR: Lamb and Keats as mentioned in this paper pointed out that Newton had destroyed all the poetry of the rainbow, by reducing it to a prism, and made a public statement about Newton's cold philosophy in his poem, Lamia (1820).
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