Magic as Science

 Alchemy and Chemistry

    One of the things I found most interesting from this chapter and our class discussion was the topic of magic’s relationship to science. Today, we would think of magic and science as two separate, and maybe even opposing, spheres of thought. We think of magic as an illusion and treat it mostly as entertainment. We know it's fake, but it's fun to interact with sometimes. Science, on the other hand, is treated with the highest respect. It’s based on empirical observation and experimentation. Science is done by educated professionals, but anyone can learn a card trick. So how could these two opposing ideas ever be considered as one and the same?

David Teniers the Younger (1610–1690), The Alchemist, ca. 1643–45. Oil on panel, 20 1/8 x 28 in (51 x 71 cm). Herzog Anton Ulrich Museum, Braunschweig (139)
In this image, an Alchemist is shown hard at work studying his craft.

    I thought that the cross over between chemistry and alchemy was an interesting aspect of this topic. Our textbook, A History of Magic, Witchcraft, and the Occult states that the renaissance was “the golden age of alchemy” and at the time chemistry and alchemy “were often used interchangeably”(page 149).  Many people practiced both disciplines such as Hieronymus Brunschwig who was both a surgeon and an alchemist. His research in chemistry was heavily based on his experience with Alchemy (page 148). This stood out to me because it shows how a lot of the founding principles of chemistry were actually based in alchemy. In a way, scientists today are still engaging with ideas of alchemy.

     As modern science began to form, alchemy became less and less respected as a science. It was considered unscientific and magical, as it is today. This was a result of the modern scientific method gaining popularity. For example, Belgien scholar Jan Baptista van Helmont “believed in alchemical principles, but also held that knowledge of nature could only be gained through experimentation.” (page 149). He believed in alchemy, but focused on the empirical scientific approach.

    Today, we would never consider alchemy as a science. After engaging with our text and discussion, I learned that alchemy was actually an important precursor to modern chemistry