Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy
This paper applies Patton and Al-Zayadi’s scientonomic framework for understanding disciplines to a case study of the development of the chemical discipline ("chymistry") from the 17th century through the early 18th century in Western Europe. Using evidence from the tradition of textbook...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Scientonomy Community
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Scientonomy |
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| Online Access: | https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42268 |
| _version_ | 1797366456310038528 |
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| author | Izzy Friesen Paul Patton |
| author_facet | Izzy Friesen Paul Patton |
| author_sort | Izzy Friesen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper applies Patton and Al-Zayadi’s scientonomic framework for understanding disciplines to a case study of the development of the chemical discipline ("chymistry") from the 17th century through the early 18th century in Western Europe. Using evidence from the tradition of textbook publication that emerged in the seventeenth-century chymistry, we reconstruct the top-level of the question hierarchy of chymistry. Analyzing how these questions and their associated theories were received, we first show how, starting in the 1660s, alchemy transitioned from a synonym of chymistry to chymistry’s subdiscipline with a more limited scope. We identify that the rejection of alchemy's core questions occurred in the 1720s based on the reception of these questions in scientific publications and by academic institutions. Hence, we conclude that the subdiscipline of alchemy became rejected in the 1720s. In order to conduct our case-study, we closely follow Newman and Principe's research on early modern alchemy and chymistry in our reconstruction of the episode. However, using the scientonomic framework in analyzing this case study reveals the specific dynamics of this instance of sub-discipline rejection. Our deepened understanding of this hallmark historical episode of disciplinary rejection indicates the value of Patton and Al-Zayadi’s theoretical framework for observational scientonomic research.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:04:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e7debe79cd284237805cbb70d77a975a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2560-9076 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T17:04:23Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | Scientonomy Community |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientonomy |
| spelling | doaj.art-e7debe79cd284237805cbb70d77a975a2024-01-04T06:00:02ZengScientonomy CommunityScientonomy2560-90762023-12-01510.33137/js.v5i.42268Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy Izzy Friesen0Paul Patton1Department of Classics, University of TorontoIHPST, University of Toronto This paper applies Patton and Al-Zayadi’s scientonomic framework for understanding disciplines to a case study of the development of the chemical discipline ("chymistry") from the 17th century through the early 18th century in Western Europe. Using evidence from the tradition of textbook publication that emerged in the seventeenth-century chymistry, we reconstruct the top-level of the question hierarchy of chymistry. Analyzing how these questions and their associated theories were received, we first show how, starting in the 1660s, alchemy transitioned from a synonym of chymistry to chymistry’s subdiscipline with a more limited scope. We identify that the rejection of alchemy's core questions occurred in the 1720s based on the reception of these questions in scientific publications and by academic institutions. Hence, we conclude that the subdiscipline of alchemy became rejected in the 1720s. In order to conduct our case-study, we closely follow Newman and Principe's research on early modern alchemy and chymistry in our reconstruction of the episode. However, using the scientonomic framework in analyzing this case study reveals the specific dynamics of this instance of sub-discipline rejection. Our deepened understanding of this hallmark historical episode of disciplinary rejection indicates the value of Patton and Al-Zayadi’s theoretical framework for observational scientonomic research. https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42268chymistryalchemychemistry17th century18th centurydiscipline |
| spellingShingle | Izzy Friesen Paul Patton Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy Scientonomy chymistry alchemy chemistry 17th century 18th century discipline |
| title | Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy |
| title_full | Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy |
| title_fullStr | Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy |
| title_short | Discipline Dynamics of Chymistry and Rejection of Alchemy |
| title_sort | discipline dynamics of chymistry and rejection of alchemy |
| topic | chymistry alchemy chemistry 17th century 18th century discipline |
| url | https://scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/42268 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT izzyfriesen disciplinedynamicsofchymistryandrejectionofalchemy AT paulpatton disciplinedynamicsofchymistryandrejectionofalchemy |