The Janus Faces of Genius: The Role of Alchemy in Newton's Thought

Dobbs, B. J. T.

ISBN 10: 0521524873 / ISBN 13: 9780521524872

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1998

About this Item

A landmark study of the 'founder of modern science'. Num Pages: 376 pages, 4 line diagrams, 7 half-tones, bibliography, index. BIC Classification: HRQX2; PDX. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 228 x 154 x 77. Weight in Grams: 594. . 1998. Revised ed. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9780521524872

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Janus Faces of Genius: The Role of Alchemy in Newton's Thought
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521524873
• ISBN 13: 9780521524872
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this major reevaluation of Isaac Newton's intellectual life, Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs shows how his pioneering work in mathematics, physics, and cosmology was intertwined with his study of alchemy. Professor Dobbs argues that to Newton those several intellectual pursuits were all ways of approaching Truth, and that Newton's primary goal was not the study of nature for its own sake but rather an attempt to establish a unified system that would have included both natural and divine principles. She also argues that Newton's methodology was much broader than modern scholars have previously supposed, and she traces the evolution of his thought on the intertwined problems of the microcosmic "vegetable spirit" of alchemy and the "cause" of the cosmic principle of gravitation.

Book Description

This major re-evaluation of Isaac Newton's intellectual life shows how his pioneering work in mathematics, physics, and cosmology was intertwined with his study of alchemy. Newton's work is interpreted as a constant attempt to bring together partial truths, with the larger goal of restoring true natural philosophy and true religion.