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 ...
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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.
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Add this copy of Atoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental to cart. $48.54, fair condition, Sold by Devils In The Detail Ltd rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxford, OXFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by University of Chicago Press.
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Fair. Picture Shown is For Illustration Purposes Only, Please See Below For Further DetailsCONDITION-VERY GOOD-PAPERBACKlight wear and scuff marks to cover, pages in nice condition, shipped from the UK. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 235 p. Contains: Illustrations.
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Very Good with no dust jacket. 0226576965. Minimal ex-library marks, otherwise text clean and tight; missing dust jacket; Ex-Library; 8vo 8"-9" tall; 235 pages.
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Add this copy of Atoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental to cart. $155.83, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by University of Chicago Press.
