Newman, William R. (Author)
Princeton University Press
Physical Details: 560 pages
Language: English
A book that finally demystifies Newton’s experiments in alchemyWhen Isaac Newton’s alchemical papers surfaced at a Sotheby’s auction in 1936, the quantity and seeming incoherence of the manuscripts was shocking. No longer the exemplar of Enlightenment rationality, the legendary physicist suddenly became “the last of the magicians.” Newton the Alchemist unlocks the secrets of Newton’s alchemical quest, providing a radically new understanding of the uncommon genius who probed nature at its deepest levels in pursuit of empirical knowledge.In this evocative and superbly written book, William Newman blends in-depth analysis of newly available texts with laboratory replications of Newton’s actual experiments in alchemy. He does not justify Newton’s alchemical research as part of a religious search for God in the physical world, nor does he argue that Newton studied alchemy to learn about gravitational attraction. Newman traces the evolution of Newton’s alchemical ideas and practices over a span of more than three decades, showing how they proved fruitful in diverse scientific fields. A precise experimenter in the realm of “chymistry,” Newton put the allusive riddles of alchemy to the test in his lab. He also used ideas drawn from the alchemical texts to great effect in his optical experimentation. In his hands, alchemy was a tool for attaining the material benefits associated with the philosopher’s stone and an instrument for acquiring scientific knowledge of the most sophisticated kind.Newton the Alchemist provides rare insights into a man who was neither Enlightenment rationalist nor irrational magus, but rather an alchemist who sought through experiment and empiricism to alter nature at its very heart.
...MoreReview Lavinia Maddaluno (2020) Review of "Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's Secret Fire". Nuncius: Annali di Storia della Scienza (pp. 455-457).
Review Elisabeth Moreau (2022) Review of "Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's Secret Fire". Metascience: An International Review Journal for the History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science (pp. 5-10).
Review Joaquín Pérez Pariente (2020) Review of "Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's Secret Fire". Llull: Revista de la Sociedad Española de Historia de las Ciencias y de las Técnicas (pp. 262-267).
Essay Review Cornelis J. Schilt (2020) A True Adept. Ambix: Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (pp. 400-407).
Review John Henry (2020) Review of "Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's Secret Fire". Annals of Science: The History of Science and Technology (pp. 549-552).
Review Tara Nummedal (2020) Review of "Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's Secret Fire". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 395-396).
Essay Review Mordechai Feingold (2019) The Religion of the Young Isaac Newton. Annals of Science: The History of Science and Technology (pp. 210-218).
Article John Henry (2021) Reassessing the Wider Aspects of Newton’s Thought – A Symposium. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 117-123).
Article Niccolò Guicciardini (2021) Lessons for the Historian of Newtonian Mathematics. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 124-135).
Article Scott Mandelbrote (2021) Beyond a Boundary: Reflections on Newton the Historian, Theologian, and Alchemist. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 136-151).
Article Steffen Ducheyne (2021) Towards a Comparative Perspective on Newton’s Working Methods. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 152-161).
Article Stephen D. Snobelen (2021) Theology in Newton’s Study of Alchemy, Chronology and Nature. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 162-180).
Article William R. Newman (2021) A Reply to the Four Reviewers. Early Science and Medicine: A Journal for the Study of Science, Technology and Medicine in the Pre-modern Period (pp. 200-205).
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