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.
| Condition | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New (224 available)
Ships Separately |
$58.99 USD | Add To Cart | Ships separately from Better World Books suppliers | |
|
eBook Obtain a digital book from our friends at eBooks.com.
|
{{ebooksDotComPrice}} {{ebooksDotComCurrency}} | eBooks.com | Digital edition from eBooks.com | |
|
Audio Book Obtain a digital book from our friends at AudiobooksNow.com.
|
{{audioBooksNowPrice}} {{audioBooksNowCurrency}} | AudiobooksNow.com | Digital edition from AudiobooksNow.com |
| Find at your local library from our friends at WorldCat | Find Libraries |
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 ...
Read full overview
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.
| Condition | Source | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
New (224 available)
Ships Separately |
Ships separately from Better World Books suppliers | $58.99 USD | Add To Cart |
|
eBook Obtain a digital book from our friends at eBooks.com.
|
Digital edition from eBooks.com | {{ebooksDotComPrice}} {{ebooksDotComCurrency}} | eBooks.com |
|
Audio Book Obtain a digital book from our friends at AudiobooksNow.com.
|
|
{{audioBooksNowPrice}} {{audioBooksNowCurrency}} | Audiobook |
*This is a limited preview of the contents of this book and does not directly represent the item available for sale.*
You are now leaving the Better World Books website to complete your transaction. Your eBook download will be facilitated by our friends at eBooks.com. Thank you for your support and for shopping with Better World Books!
You are now leaving the Better World Books website to complete your transaction. Your audio book download will be facilitated by our friends at AudiobooksNow.com. Thank you for your support and for shopping with Better World Books!
You are now leaving the Better World Books website. Thank you for your support and for shopping with Better World Books!