Logan+Week+4

The release of Newton’s unseen manuscripts at Sotheby’s in 1936 had surprising information in them. His works were labeled “not fit to be printed” and more than a third of them were based on alchemy. This conjured up the question: why was Newton interested in alchemy when he was known for being centered on physics? He is probably most recognized for Newton’s Laws of Motion, which deals with physics and still we find much of his manuscripts explicitly pertaining to alchemy. I am not surprised that Newton had other such interests, especially in chemistry. If you are man so interested in an area of science, I would also think that you were attracted to another. Perhaps Newton sought solutions to his work in alchemy.

Chemistry, or “chymistry” as it was called in the seventeenth-century, covered three fundamentals areas:“First, chymists laid claim to a large group of technologies ranging from the making of pigments and dyes and the manufacture of mineral acids to the distillation of "strong waters" for drink.” Compared to chemistry today, this field served more of a practical purpose than to that of science. It uses chemistry to help with the production of items, mainly for commerce. The second two areas are as follows: “Chymical medicine, or iatrochemistry, was one of the important new fields of early modern science, and the second basic division of the discipline. Third and finally, the attempt to make gold from less precious materials.” Chemistry’s involvement with medicine is important to medicinal advances because it improves the pharmaceutical aspect of medicine. Laboratory practices are essential to the production of “mineral-based drugs.” The final area deals with a topic alchemy has always been known for and has always struggled towards. We do not have the power of creation that is in God’s hands. Newton dealt with all three of these fields. Again, I don’t find it odd that Newton is involved with these areas because both physics and alchemy are based on abstract ideas and concepts. Newton thought like Plato, not like Aristotle. Therefore, chemistry was a major component of his works and pursuits.

Looking back at the last area of “chymistry,” I think alchemy tends to mess with the “gift of God.” It tries to find the power to create and so this “shortcut” alchemy has tried to get to gold has always failed. “Newton argues that God’s power is constrained only by the laws of logic. He can do anything that we can imagine, provided that this does not imply a logical contradiction.” I find it interesting the way Newton explains the powers of God. The world in which we live in couldn’t have been made if it did not work or make sense. The laws of logic constrain the power of what God can do. I don’t quite agree with Newton because of my religious views but it’s still an interesting argument.