Science and Alchemy

Etymology• Al – khemet (command)• From Egypt, Arab world, Greece• A medieval chemical philosophy having as its asserted aims

the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the panacea, and the preparation of the elixir of longevity.

• 2. A seemingly magical power or process of transmuting: "He wondered by what alchemy it was changed, so that what sickened him one hour, maddened him with hunger the next" (Marjorie K. Rawlings).

• The sacred text: The Emerald Tablet

Alchemy

• Understanding the nature, its elements and making a scientific enquiry into the nature’s properties

Sir Isaac Newton and Alchemy

• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/newton-dark-secrets.html

• 22.18 minutes

• Where was Newton born? • What influenced him the most in his early

childhood? • Who were the known scientists around his time

and what were their contributions?

Newton

• What were the major contributions of Newton?• What was the difference between Newton and

Rene’ Descartes’s theories of Nature?• Why was Newton’s understanding of alchemy?

• Why was he drawn to Alchemy? • The relationship of science and religion?