Newman, William Royall (Author)
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Volume: 41
Pages: 203--213
Alan Chalmers uses Robert Boyle's mechanical philosophy as an example of the irrelevance of `philosophy' to `science' and criticizes my 2006 book Atoms and alchemyfor overemphasizing Boyle's successes. The present paper responds as follows: first, it argues that Chalmers employs an overly simplistic methodology insensitive to the distinction between historical and philosophical claims; second, it shows that the central theses of Atoms and alchemyare untouched by Chalmers's criticisms; and third, it uses Boyle's analysis of subordinate causes and his debate with Henry More in the 1670s to demonstrate the inadequacy of Chalmers's construal of the mechanical philosophy.
...MoreDescription Response to JournalArticle; Alan F. Chalmers; Boyle and the Origins... (2010) [1021651].
Article Chalmers, Alan F. (2010) Boyle and the Origins of Modern Chemistry: Newman Tried in the Fire. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (p. 1).
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