Marcel Duchamp, a revolutionary twentieth century artist, once said, “Alchemy is a kind of philosophy, a kind of thinking that leads to a way of understanding” (Duchamp). This quote is the simplest definition of alchemy. Alchemy is a concept that explains what is going on around us. More importantly, it provides an explanation for what we have always been told to believe. It dates back as far as the Renaissance period, and while similar to sciences, was not at first considered a science due to its mystical aspects. Alchemy, in particular, began as the pursuit of gold and eternal life. Similar to the basic concept of chemistry, it involved the transformation of items into other items, such as lead into gold. During the Renaissance, alchemy evolved
…show more content…
This combination can be found through alchemy’s connection with Greek philosophy, mystic arts, and religion. Alchemy was the essential catalyst in the Renaissance that caused sciences to shift into taking a contemporary form. Marcel Duchamp was spot on commenting on the condition of alchemy as “a kind of thinking that leads to a way of understanding” (Duchamp). Alchemy created a path for modern sciences like chemistry, physics, and medicine to follow. Modern Physics and the atomic theory of matter would not exist today if alchemy had not laid the groundwork with the corpuscular theory. Similarly, Sir Isaac Newton accelerated the progress of physics with his revolutionary work, Newton’s three laws of motion. Leading to Einstein’s theory of relativity describing Newton’s idea of gravity and other hidden forces in depth. Alchemy stimulated Newton’s ideas and triggered his perspective with Aristotle’s elements. Even though it was initially known as a protoscience, meaning that it was formerly an unscientific field that later became an official science, the use of the scientific method in alchemy helped propel its way into becoming a true science. The forerunner to current Chemistry and stimulating creative thought during the Renaissance, alchemy demonstrates its power from its
This combination can be found through alchemy’s connection with Greek philosophy, mystic arts, and religion. Alchemy was the essential catalyst in the Renaissance that caused sciences to shift into taking a contemporary form. Marcel Duchamp was spot on commenting on the condition of alchemy as “a kind of thinking that leads to a way of understanding” (Duchamp). Alchemy created a path for modern sciences like chemistry, physics, and medicine to follow. Modern Physics and the atomic theory of matter would not exist today if alchemy had not laid the groundwork with the corpuscular theory. Similarly, Sir Isaac Newton accelerated the progress of physics with his revolutionary work, Newton’s three laws of motion. Leading to Einstein’s theory of relativity describing Newton’s idea of gravity and other hidden forces in depth. Alchemy stimulated Newton’s ideas and triggered his perspective with Aristotle’s elements. Even though it was initially known as a protoscience, meaning that it was formerly an unscientific field that later became an official science, the use of the scientific method in alchemy helped propel its way into becoming a true science. The forerunner to current Chemistry and stimulating creative thought during the Renaissance, alchemy demonstrates its power from its