Genesis and the chemical philosophy : true Christian science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries / Michael T. Walton.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Walton, Michael Thomson, 1945-

Contributor:

Class of 1891 Department of Arts Fund.

Series:

AMS studies in the Renaissance ; no. 45.

AMS studies in the Renaissance, 0195-8011 ; no. 45

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science, Renaissance.

Alchemy--History.

Alchemy.

History.

Chemistry--Philosophy--History--16th century.

Chemistry.

Chemistry--Philosophy--History--17th century.

Religion and science--History--16th century.

Religion and science.

Religion and science--History--17th century.

Chemistry--Philosophy.

Physical Description:

xiii, 172 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Brooklyn, N.Y. : AMS Press, [2011]

Summary:

Tracing the complex intellectual traditions surrounding the interaction of chemistry and Genesis from classical times into the 17th century, Walton details the baptism of chemistry into a Christian natural philosophy by Paracelsus and his heirs in the 16th and 17th centuries. Chemical philosophers re-examined matter in light of Genesis, he says, and developed a new epistemology that focused on experiencing nature rather than relying on accepted texts. This attitude fostered quantitative experimentation that eventually diminished the importance of Genesis and led from a theological to a secular interpretation of nature. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1891 Department of Arts Fund.

ISBN:

040462345X

9780404623456

OCLC:

692664076

Publisher Number:

99948364325