History of Science & Knowledge

Newton the Alchemist: Science, Enigma, and the Quest for Nature's "Secret Fire"

A book that finally demystifies Newton鈥檚 experiments in alchemy

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Price:
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ISBN:
Published:
Dec 11, 2018
Copyright:
2019
Illus:
40 b/w + 10 color
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When Isaac Newton鈥檚 alchemical papers surfaced at a Sotheby鈥檚 auction in 1936, the quantity and seeming incoherence of the manuscripts were shocking. No longer the exemplar of Enlightenment rationality, the legendary physicist suddenly became 鈥渢he last of the magicians.鈥� Newton the Alchemist unlocks the secrets of Newton鈥檚 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鈥檚 actual experiments in alchemy. He does not justify Newton鈥檚 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鈥檚 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 鈥渃hymistry,鈥� Newton put the 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鈥檚 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.