Abstract
The acceptance of new chemical ideas, before the Chemical Revolution of Lavoisier, in Greek-speaking communities in the 17th and 18th centuries did not create a discourse of chemical philosophy, as it did in Europe, but rather a “philosophy” of chemistry as it was formed through the evolution of didactic traditions of Chemistry. This “philosophical” chemistry was not based on the existence of any academic institutions, it was focused on the ontology of principles and forces governing the analysis/synthesis of matter and formulated two didactic traditions. The one, named “the system of chymists”, close to the Boylean/Cartesian tradition, accepted, contrary to Aristotelianism, the five “chymical” principles and also the analytical ideal, but the “chymical” principles were not under a conceptual and experimental investigation, as they were in Europe. Also, a crucial issue for this tradition remained the “mechanical” principles which were under the influence of the metaphysical nature of the Aristotelian principles. The other, close to the Boylean/Newtonian tradition, was the integrated presentation of the Newtonian “dream”, which maintained a discursive attitude with reference to the “chemical attractions”–“chemical affinities” and actualised the mathematical atomism of Boscovich, according to which the elementary texture of matter could be causally explained within this complex architecture of mathematical “punkta”. In this tradition also coexisted, in a discursive synthesis, the “chemical element” of Lavoisier and the arguments of the new theory and its opposition to the phlogiston theory, but the “chemical affinities” were under the realm of the “physical element” as “metaphysical point”.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Althusser L. (1977) Positions (in Greek). Themelio, Athens
Anthrakitis, M.: 18th century(a), Philosophical Notebook manuscript in the Greek National Library, number 1331, pp. 101a–168b
Anthrakitis, M.: 18th century(b), Philosophical Notebook manuscript in the Greek National Library, number 1331, p. 122β
Anthrakitis, M.: 18th century(c), Philosophical Notebook manuscript in the Greek National Library, number 1331, p. 125α
Bachelard, G.: 2002, Formation of the Scientific Mind, trans. McAllester Jones M. Clinamen Press, Manchester, p. 240
Bobou-Stamati, V.: 1998a, V. Damodos, Athens, pp. 129–130
Bobou-Stamati, V.: 1998b, V. Damodos, Athens, pp. 56–58
Boyle, R.: 1661a, The Skeptical Chymist, London
Boyle, R.: 1661b, The Skeptical Chymist, London, pp. 37–85 (http://www.oldsite.library.upenn.edu/etext/collections/science/boyle/chymist)
Boyle, R.: 1661c, The Skeptical Chymist, London, p. 346. (http://www.oldsite.library.upenn.edu/etext/collections/science/boyle/chymist)
Boscovich, J.R.: 1763a, A Theory of Natural Philosophy, transl. J.M. Child, Cambridge-Mass., and London 1966, p. 19
Boscovich, J.R: 1763b, A Theory of Natural Philosophy, transl. J.M. Child, Cambridge-Mass., and London 1966, p. 23
Brock, W.: 1992, in Fontana (ed.), The Fontana History of Chemistry, London
Carusi, P.: 1990, ‘Alchemy’ in Di Meo A. (ed.), A History of Chemistry, Marsilio Editori, Venice
Damodos, V.: 1754a, Causal Physiology, ms number 2342 Greek National Library, pp. 1–179b
Damodos, V.: 1754b, Causal Physiology, ms number 2342 Greek National Library, p. 3α, 77α
Damodos, V.: 1754c, Causal Physiology, ms number 2342 Greek National Library, pp.␣35β–36a
Damodos, V.: 1754d, Causal Physiology, ms number 2342 Greek National Library, p. 35α
Duncan A.: 1996, Laws and Order in Eighteenth-Century Chemistry, Oxford
Foucault, M.: 1987, The Archeology of Knowledge, transl. (in Greek) K. Papagiorgis, Athens
Foucault, M.: 2002, Power/Essential Works of Foucault 1954–1984, vol. 3, trans. R. Hurley and others, London, p. 21
Gazis, A.:1802, ‘Preface’ in the translation (in Greek, Iliadis) of Chemical Philosophy by Fourcroy. Venice, pp. IX–XIII
Gramsci, A.: 1972, Gli Intellettualli (In Greek), Transl. Papadopoulos, Stoxastis, Athens
Gavroglou K., Patiniotis M. (2003). Patterns of Appropriation in the Greek Intellectual Life of the eighteenth Century: A Case Study om the Notion of the Time. In: Ashtekar A., Cohen R., Howard D., Renn J., Sarkar S., Shimony A., (eds) Revisiting the Foundations of Relavistic Physics:Fesrchrift in Honor of Stachel J. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht
Janiak A. (2000) Space, Atoms and Mathematical Divisibility in Newton. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 31: 203–230
Karas, Y.: 1993, ‘The Sciences under Turkish Domination, Manuscripts and Printed Works’, Vol. 2, The Sciences of Nature, Athens, p. 327
Kavalliotis, Th.: 1755a, Treatise on Physics, ms in the Library of Siatista (terminus ante quem 1755), pp. 68α–134β
Kavalliotis, Th.: 1755b, Treatise on Physics, ms in the Library of Siatista (terminus ante quem 1755), p. 8
Kavalliotis, Th.: 1755c, Treatise on Physics, ms in the Library of Siatista (terminus ante quem 1755), p. 85β
Kavalliotis, Th.: 1755d, Treatise on Physics, ms in the Library of Siatista (terminus ante quem 1755), pp. 82β–84β
Kekridis, E.: 1991, Theodoros A. Kavalliotis (1718–1789), Kavala, pp. 111–114
Kim M.G. (2000) Chemical Analysis and the Domains of Reality: Wilhelm Homberg’s Essais De Chimie, 1702–1709. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 31(1):37–69
Kim M.G. (2001) The Analytical Ideal of Chemical Elements: Robert Boyle and the French Didactic Tradition of Chemistry. Science in Context 14(3):361–395
Koumas, K.: 1808, ‘The Translator to the Greeks’ in the volume Koumas, transl., Epitome of Chemistry by A. Adet, Venice
Koutalis, V. & Bokaris P.E.: 2003, The Newtonian Dream as an Obstacle to the Assimilation of Modern Chemistry a textbook of Athanasios Psalidas in Skordoulis, K. (ed.), Proceedings of the 2nd Hellenic Congress: The contribution of History and Philosophy of Natural Sciences in Education of Natural Sciences, 8–11 May, Athens
Lemery, N.: 1675a, Cours de Chymie, Paris
Lemery, N.: 1675b, Cours de Chymie, Paris, pp. 4–6
McEvoy J. (2000) In Search of the Chemical Revolution: Interpretive Strategies in the History of Chemistry. Foundations of Chemistry 2:47–73
Newman W.R., Principe L.M. (1998) Alchemy vs. Chemistry: the Etymological Origins of a Historiographic Mistake. Early Science and Medicine 3(1):32–65
Newton, I.: 1713, Philosophia Naturalis Principia Mathematica, London, pp. 357–358 (http://www.dibinst.mit.edu/BURNDY/Collections/Babson/OnlineNewton)
Noutsos, Ch.: 1996, The Criticism of I. Moissiodax to E. Voulgaris Scientific Calendar for the Faculty of Philosophy, Dodoni, Ioannina
Patiniotis M. (2003) Scientific Travels of the Greek Scholars in the Eighteenth Century. In: Simoes A., Carneiro A., Diogo M. (eds) Travels of Learning. A Geography of Science in Europe. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherland
Petsios, K.: 2002a, ‘Methodios Anthrakitis: Reconstruction on His Works and Biography. An Unknown Philosophical Notebook: The Physics’, in the Volume The scholarship of the Eastern Zagori, Ioannina, pp. 69–120
Petsios, K.: 2002b, The Discussion on the Nature in Modern Greek Thought: Aspects of the Philosophical Investigation from the 15th to the 19th Century (in Greek), Ioannina, pp. 261–270
Petsios, K.: 2002c, The Discussion on the Nature in Modern Greek Thought: Aspects of the Philosophical Investigation from the 15th to the 19th Century (in Greek), p. 318, Ioannina
Psalidas, A.: ∼1795a, Peri Physikis en Geni (On Physics in General) manuscript, number 4 at the library of archimandrite’s church in Ioannina, pp. 1α–82β.
Psalidas, A.: 1795b, Kalokinemata or Enchiridion against Envy and against Eugenios’ Logic (in Greek), Vienna, reprinted by Alkis Angelou, Pestalozzi (Trongen, Switzerland) 1951, p. 6
Stahl, E.G.: 1746, Chymia Rationalis et Experimentalis, Leipsig, dritte Auflage, p. 5
Stephanides M.: 1907, transl. M. Berthelot, The origins of Alchemy (in Greek), comments of the translator to the Preface, pp. 14–15
Stengers, I. & Bensaude-Vincent, B.: 1999, History of Chemistry (in Greek) transl. I. Bitsakis, Athens
Stengers, I.: 1995, ‘Ambiguous Affinity: The Newtonian Dream of Chemistry in the eighteenth Century’ in Michel Serres (ed.), A History of Scientific Thought. Elements of a History of Science, Oxford, Cambridge Mass, pp. 372–400
Theotokis, N.: 1766a, Stichia Physikis (in Greek), Vienna I, pp. 3–20, §§1–11, §19 (http://www.space.noa.gr/hellinomnimon)
Theotokis, N.: 1766b, Stichia Physikis (in Greek), Vienna I, p. 35 (http://www.space.noa.gr/hellinomnimon)
Vlachakis, G.: 1999, ‘The Greek Enlightenment in Science: Hermes the Scholar and its contribution to science in early nineteenth-century Greece’, History of Science, XXXVI, 319
Voulgaris, E.: 1805a (in Greek), The Favorites of Philosophers, Venice, pp. 90, 284–286, 292, 356
Voulgaris, E.: 1805b (in Greek), Elements of Metaphysics, Venice, pp. 134–168
Vranousis, I.: 1951, Athanasios Psalidas, the Teacher of the Race. The patriot–The politician–The militant (in Greek), Ioannina
Vretos-Papadopoulos A.: 1857, NeoHellenic Literature, B’, Athens, p. 248
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank Dr. M. Apostolou for her useful comments
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bokaris, E.P., Koutalis, V. The “System of Chymists” and the “Newtonian dream” in Greek-speaking Communities in the 17th–18th Centuries. Sci & Educ 17, 641–661 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-006-9050-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-006-9050-x