History and modern state of alchemy Essay sample

History and modern state of alchemy Essay sample The word “alchemy” is associated with something magical, unusual, and maybe even dangerous. Since its development many centuries ago, alchemy has both fascinated and repulsed people, mainly due to the unexplored and powerful opportunities it was believed to provide (Maxwell-Stuart, 2012). However, despite its long history, alchemy is still poorly understood and misinterpreted by people because it is not clear whether it is science or magic. Therefore, the main aim of this essay is to explore when did alchemy start, how it is defined, who were the famous alchemists, and how it currently looks. History of Alchemy The history of alchemy goes back to the ancient Egypt, where people first started to use complex chemical substances for mummification. When Alexander the Great conquered this land, the Greeks also became interested in this sacred science and developed their own vision of how elements interact in the world. According to these first scientists, the matter consisted of Earth, Fire, Air, and Water â€" four fundamental elements without which the life on this planet would be impossible (Maxwell-Stuart, 2012). Although their views were certainly naïve and overly simplified, they provided the basis for further exploration of how the matter can be manipulated. Interestingly, the basics of alchemy developed independently in China, India, and the Islam world as well, where people were also interested in exploring various substances and materials and learned how to do basic alchemy (Thompson, 2012). Knowledge gained by the Arab scientists was later brought to Spain, from where it spread throug hout Europe. During this medieval period, alchemy has developed into a serious area of knowledge, which was rooted in both chemical experiments and spiritual practices (Maxwell-Stuart, 2012). Before exploring how it evolved, however, it is important to define this term. Simply speaking, alchemy is both a protoscience and philosophy that aims at purifying and perfecting certain materials or objects. It pursues two main goals: transform simple metals into gold and create the powerful elixir that could bring immortality (Thompson, 2012). Because all culture and science in medieval Europe were perceived through the prism of religion, alchemists also pursued some religious wisdom, which, at the same time, did not prevent them from using astrology and numerology. As the knowledge was perfected, European alchemists divided into groups according to their interests and goals, which led to the formation of two types of alchemy. By the end of the 16th century, the first group of alchemists has established the basis for subsequent development of chemistry. These people were concerned with manufacturing amalgams and discovered new compounds and their relationships with each other, and this knowledge was later used by scientists to make the most outstanding discoveries in this field (Thompson, 2012). The second group of alchemists was not interested in exploring the real world but focused more on the metaphysical and spiritual practices. Although these alchemists still conducted experiments with substances and metals, their practice gradually lost its scientific character and was widely criticized (Thompson, 2012). One needs to stress that the names of the most famous alchemists and their experiments are widely known due to their contribution to the modern science. Take, for example, Paracelsus, a Swiss-born scholar who lived in the 15th-16th centuries. Although Paracelsus believed in spiritual alchemy, he was not interested in creating the philosopher’s stone or transforming lead into gold. His main goal was to find ways to cure diseases, which is why this scholar is believed to be the founder of modern science and medicine (Crone, 2004). It may sound unconvincing, but Isaac Newton was also among those scientists fascinated by alchemy (Bosveld, 2010). It has recently been found that the scholar worked on creating the “philosophic” mercury â€" the substance believed to serve as a basis for the legendary philosopher’s stone. These alchemy facts vividly demonstrate that the line between serious science and alchemy was blurred. At the same time, many discoveries made by alchemists are wide ly used nowadays in different scientific fields â€" from medicine to physics and chemistry. Alchemy Today Furthermore, one needs to answer one important question â€" what is alchemy today? Has it evolved into real science or is it no more than a vain pursuit of some illusory ideals? In other words, is alchemy real? On the one hand, one cannot deny the fact that many findings made by ancient and medieval alchemists are currently used by scientists. On the other hand, alchemy has not fully evolved into science but remains a mix of some spiritual and scientific experiments. Questions such as “How to do alchemy in real life?” still look bizarre for many contemporary people. However, Conniff (2014) argued that this area of knowledge is currently experiencing a revival as many enthusiasts begin deciphering old alchemical texts. Although several decades ago, scientists daring to speak about alchemy would be despised by his/her colleagues, today, these attempts to reveal some new knowledge are no longer perceived as something extraordinary (Conniff, 2014). To conclude, alchemy is an ancient discipline that mixes both science experiments and spiritual practices to achieve personal improvement. Many alchemists, although focusing on some metaphysical exploration, managed to enrich the fields of chemistry and medicine. However, despite the contribution of alchemy to the modern science, the discipline of alchemy remains quite controversial nowadays, mainly because of the stereotype that alchemists search for immortality and accumulation of wealth.