Date: 1/07/2020 21:55:31
From: mollwollfumble
ID: 1582215
Subject: Alchemy
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mollwollfumble said:
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No thanks.
mollwollfumble said:
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¿
https://journals.aps.org/pr/abstract/10.1103/PhysRev.60.473
https://sci-hub.tw/https://journals.aps.org/prc/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevC.23.1044
mollwollfumble said:
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This sentence lacks a verb. Consider rephrasing.
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:
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This sentence lacks a verb. Consider rephrasing.
Do you consider alchemy to be:
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:
?
This sentence lacks a verb. Consider rephrasing.
Do you consider alchemy to be:
- a science
- a philosophy
- a religion
- a fraternity
- a scam
- a technology
- or other?
Well, it’s not a fraternity, a religion, or a scam. It is an obsolete traditional philosophy with some scientific elements (no pun intended) and some non-scientific elements.
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:This sentence lacks a verb. Consider rephrasing.
Do you consider alchemy to be:
- a science
- a philosophy
- a religion
- a fraternity
- a scam
- a technology
- or other?
Well, it’s not a fraternity, a religion, or a scam. It is an obsolete traditional philosophy with some scientific elements (no pun intended) and some non-scientific elements.
As a religion, the use of arcane symbology and meaningless drivel almost led recently to a large collection of Newton’s papers almost being rejected by an archive of his papers.
As a fraternity, we can include Boyle and Newton along with Ashmole and 13 other contemporaries as members.
As a scam, rich people invested real money in enterprises based on alchemy, and got nothing in return.
As a technology – that possibility hadn’t occurred to be until a week ago, when I heard of Henry Prince of Wales investing money in an enterprise to turn lead into silver. Broken Hill turns lead into silver, the amount of silver in its lead ore is only a small percentage, but the value of silver is such that more than half of the profit comes from silver rather than lead. Similarly, the small percentage of gold in some copper ores allows some companies to make a profit turning copper ore into gold.
My opinion on what alchemy really was has taken quite a few dramatic swings and turns over my lifetime. I am wondering what your opinion is.
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:
mollwollfumble said:Do you consider alchemy to be:
- a science
- a philosophy
- a religion
- a fraternity
- a scam
- a technology
- or other?
Well, it’s not a fraternity, a religion, or a scam. It is an obsolete traditional philosophy with some scientific elements (no pun intended) and some non-scientific elements.
As a religion, the use of arcane symbology and meaningless drivel almost led recently to a large collection of Newton’s papers almost being rejected by an archive of his papers.
As a fraternity, we can include Boyle and Newton along with Ashmole and 13 other contemporaries as members.
As a scam, rich people invested real money in enterprises based on alchemy, and got nothing in return.
As a technology – that possibility hadn’t occurred to be until a week ago, when I heard of Henry Prince of Wales investing money in an enterprise to turn lead into silver. Broken Hill turns lead into silver, the amount of silver in its lead ore is only a small percentage, but the value of silver is such that more than half of the profit comes from silver rather than lead. Similarly, the small percentage of gold in some copper ores allows some companies to make a profit turning copper ore into gold.
My opinion on what alchemy really was has taken quite a few dramatic swings and turns over my lifetime. I am wondering what your opinion is.
Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay. The main thing we know was that if someone was willing to pay an alchemist to try, then he would set out to do so.
There were also the priesthood. Lots of people pay good money to the various churches in the hope of an outcome that doesn’t occur.
roughbarked said:
mollwollfumble said:
dv said:Well, it’s not a fraternity, a religion, or a scam. It is an obsolete traditional philosophy with some scientific elements (no pun intended) and some non-scientific elements.
As a religion, the use of arcane symbology and meaningless drivel almost led recently to a large collection of Newton’s papers almost being rejected by an archive of his papers.
As a fraternity, we can include Boyle and Newton along with Ashmole and 13 other contemporaries as members.
As a scam, rich people invested real money in enterprises based on alchemy, and got nothing in return.
As a technology – that possibility hadn’t occurred to be until a week ago, when I heard of Henry Prince of Wales investing money in an enterprise to turn lead into silver. Broken Hill turns lead into silver, the amount of silver in its lead ore is only a small percentage, but the value of silver is such that more than half of the profit comes from silver rather than lead. Similarly, the small percentage of gold in some copper ores allows some companies to make a profit turning copper ore into gold.
My opinion on what alchemy really was has taken quite a few dramatic swings and turns over my lifetime. I am wondering what your opinion is.
Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay. The main thing we know was that if someone was willing to pay an alchemist to try, then he would set out to do so.
There were also the priesthood. Lots of people pay good money to the various churches in the hope of an outcome that doesn’t occur.
> Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay.
I can’t agree with that. Alchemists left copious contemporary notes.
mollwollfumble said:
roughbarked said:
mollwollfumble said:As a religion, the use of arcane symbology and meaningless drivel almost led recently to a large collection of Newton’s papers almost being rejected by an archive of his papers.
As a fraternity, we can include Boyle and Newton along with Ashmole and 13 other contemporaries as members.
As a scam, rich people invested real money in enterprises based on alchemy, and got nothing in return.
As a technology – that possibility hadn’t occurred to be until a week ago, when I heard of Henry Prince of Wales investing money in an enterprise to turn lead into silver. Broken Hill turns lead into silver, the amount of silver in its lead ore is only a small percentage, but the value of silver is such that more than half of the profit comes from silver rather than lead. Similarly, the small percentage of gold in some copper ores allows some companies to make a profit turning copper ore into gold.
My opinion on what alchemy really was has taken quite a few dramatic swings and turns over my lifetime. I am wondering what your opinion is.
Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay. The main thing we know was that if someone was willing to pay an alchemist to try, then he would set out to do so.
There were also the priesthood. Lots of people pay good money to the various churches in the hope of an outcome that doesn’t occur.> Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay.
I can’t agree with that. Alchemists left copious contemporary notes.
contemporaneous. And that’s history…
Michael V said:
mollwollfumble said:
roughbarked said:Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay. The main thing we know was that if someone was willing to pay an alchemist to try, then he would set out to do so.
There were also the priesthood. Lots of people pay good money to the various churches in the hope of an outcome that doesn’t occur.> Pretty much most of what we know about alchemy is historical hearsay.
I can’t agree with that. Alchemists left copious contemporary notes.
contemporaneous. And that’s history…
Perhaps alchemy as a mental illness.
They left all their notes in code.