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Wednesday, November 11, 2015
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM See all dates and Times
http://www.chemheritage.org/fellowinfocus
Why did the most celebrated scientist of all time believe in alchemy? Isaac Newton's discoveries in physics, optics, and mathematics changed the world's beliefs about nature and reshaped science in powerful ways. But recent research has revealed that Newton also spent over 30 years working on alchemical texts, with an enthusiasm manifested through his many papers on the subject. We know a lot about Newton's history today, yet it remains a relative mystery why this brilliant thinker believed in a discipline long viewed as discredited in the modern scientific world. Join us for this Fellow in Focus lecture to encounter the evidence that led 17th-century scholars to accept alchemical transmutation and experience a new side of the founder of Newtonian physics.
William R. Newman is Distinguished Professor and Ruth N. Halls Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. His historical work ranges from alchemy in the High Middle Ages to "chymistry" in the early modern period, and also deals with the experimental and natural philosophical traditions more broadly.
William R. Newman is Distinguished Professor and Ruth N. Halls Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University. His historical work ranges from alchemy in the High Middle Ages to "chymistry" in the early modern period, and also deals with the experimental and natural philosophical traditions more broadly.
