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Carregando... Atoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental Origins of the Scientific Revolutionde William R. Newman
   Chemistry (26) Ainda não há conversas na Discussão sobre este livro.  andreablythe | Feb 12, 2009 |  sem resenhas | adicionar uma resenha
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. Atomsand 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. Não foram encontradas descrições de bibliotecas. |
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 Google Books — Carregando...GênerosClassificação decimal de Dewey (CDD)509Natural sciences and mathematics General Science History, geographic treatment, biographyClassificação da Biblioteca do Congresso dos E.U.A. (LCC)AvaliaçãoMédia: (3.5)
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But as Newman points out, Alchemy and Chymistry (a science that many alchemists practiced) actually had a significant influence in the 16th and 17th centuries, and must have had an impact on the scientists working in those periods. Newman uses strong textual evidence throughout his book to show in very specific ways, how Chymistry influenced the development of matter theory, specifically citing the ways in which Robert Boyle's mechanical philosophy was influenced by the work of Daniel Sennert. Sennert's use of reduction and experimentation to prove his theories was and especially important influence on Boyle.
This is not a fun book to read. In fact, it reads like a text book and is very dense with information. I was willing to work my way through it, because the subject matter was interesting enough to me. I especially liked seeing the thought processes that these scientists used, which is so foreign now, with our understanding of atoms and molecules.
I would not recommend this to everyone, but those who are interested in the subject matter and willing to put a little effort into their reading may find this an interesting book. (