Alchemy

Synopsis

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of Alchemy, the ancient science of transformations. The most famous alchemical text is the Emerald Tablet, written around 500BC and attributed to the mythical Egyptian figure of Hermes Trismegistus. Among its twelve lines are the essential words - "as above, so below". They capture the essence of alchemy, that the heavens mirror the earth and that all things correspond to one another. Alchemy was taken up by some of the most extraordinary people in our intellectual development, including Roger Bacon, Paracelsus, the father of chemistry, Robert Boyle, and, most famously, Isaac Newton, who wrote more about alchemy than he did about physics. It is now contended that it was Newton’s studies into alchemy which gave him the fundamental insight into the famous three laws of motion and gravity.

With Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London, Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster.

(45 minutes)

Series

In Our Time, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2010

Year of production

2005

Notes

Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on 25 February 2005

Subjects

Chemistry

Keywords

chemical elements; history of science; alchemy

Online availability

URI

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003k9bn

Price

free

Delivery

Streamed

Credits

Contributor

Lauren Kassell; Melvyn Bragg; Peter Forshaw; Stephen Pumfrey

Distributor

Name

BBC Radio 4

Web

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4 External site opens in new window