Alchemy, The Foundation of Science Essay -- Scientific Research

As the last drops fell from the glass to my tongue, I wondered - scarcely for an instant - what perhaps Id never know. What would it taste like, what would it feel like, if that silver-tongued sliding down my throat was not champagne. But the philosophers stone of life (Neville). The concept of an elixir of life discussed in Katherine Nevilles book, The Eight, is by no essence a new concept. In fact, it is one of the main goals of of a group of people, alchemists, who first save their pastureings 2500 years ago (Bateman). Alchemists cave in greatly wrought much of science and society. Alchemy has a very long history that also reaches well-nigh the world. Though long associated in the Western world with knightly Europe, alchemy was a philosophy and proto-scientific practice common to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Persia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Greece, and Rome (Campbell). Alchemy is believed though, to have started in either Egypt or China. (Bateman) Alchemy wa s the attempt to transmute, or change, one substance into another (Campbell). And alchemy, at its core, was an attempt to understand, deconstruct, and reconstruct matter (Campbell). This is very alike to the purpose of chemistry, which is to understand matter and the changes matter undergoes. Alchemists were hoping to use their savvy of matter to fulfill three tasks. Alchemists worked to find the elixir, a drink that could make a psyche live forever the panacea, a medicine that could cure all illnesses and the Philosophers Stone, which could turn any metal into gold (Bateman). Much of the work of alchemists is remembered as the work of wizards and witches. They made potions and remedies and thought that matter could be transformed development magic (Bateman). And eve... ..., CT Brown Bear, 2010. Print.Campbell, Margaret Christine., and Natalie Goldstein. Discovering Atoms. New YorK Rosen Pub., 2012. Print.Carney, Linda L. Alchemy in Selected Plays of Shakespeare. Diss. Drake University, 1977. Abstract. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .Neville, Katherine. The Eight A Novel. New York Ballantine, 1989. Print.Read, John. From Alchemy to Chemistry. New York Dover Publications, 1995. Print.Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPr. stimulate Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. New York A.A. Levine, 1998. Print.Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Alchemy, The Foundation of Science Essay -- Scientific Research As the last drops fell from the glass to my tongue, I wondered - only for an instant - what perhaps Id never know. What would it taste like, what would it feel like, if that liquid sliding down my throat was not champagne. But the elixir of life (Neville). The concept of an elixir of life discussed in Katherine Nevilles book, The Eight, is by no means a new concept. In fact, it is one of the main goals of of a group of people, alchemists, who first recorded their workings 2500 years ago (Bateman). Alchemist s have greatly shaped much of science and society. Alchemy has a very long history that also reaches around the world. Though long associated in the Western world with medieval Europe, alchemy was a philosophy and proto-scientific practice common to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Persia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Greece, and Rome (Campbell). Alchemy is believed though, to have started in either Egypt or China. (Bateman) Alchemy was the attempt to transmute, or change, one substance into another (Campbell). And alchemy, at its core, was an attempt to understand, deconstruct, and reconstruct matter (Campbell). This is very similar to the purpose of chemistry, which is to understand matter and the changes matter undergoes. Alchemists were hoping to use their understanding of matter to fulfill three tasks. Alchemists worked to find the elixir, a drink that could make a person live forever the panacea, a medicine that could cure all illnesses and the Philosophers Stone, which could turn any metal into gold (Bateman). Much of the work of alchemists is remembered as the work of wizards and witches. They made potions and remedies and thought that matter could be transformed using magic (Bateman). And eve... ..., CT Brown Bear, 2010. Print.Campbell, Margaret Christine., and Natalie Goldstein. Discovering Atoms. New YorK Rosen Pub., 2012. Print.Carney, Linda L. Alchemy in Selected Plays of Shakespeare. Diss. Drake University, 1977. Abstract. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .Neville, Katherine. The Eight A Novel. New York Ballantine, 1989. Print.Read, John. From Alchemy to Chemistry. New York Dover Publications, 1995. Print.Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPr. Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. New York A.A. Levine, 1998. Print.Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .