This Event has Passed
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/visit/events/public-events/2015-11-11-fellow-in-focus-william-newman.aspx
Why did one of the most celebrated scientists 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 modern research has revealed that Newton also spent over 30 years poring over alchemical texts, with an enthusiasm manifested through his many unpublished papers on the subject. Today we know a great deal about Newton's history, yet why this brilliant thinker believed in a discipline discredited in the modern scientific world remains a mystery. 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.
CHF gratefully acknowledges June Felley for her generous support of the Rohm and Haas Fellow in Focus lecture series.
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.
CHF gratefully acknowledges June Felley for her generous support of the Rohm and Haas Fellow in Focus lecture series.
