Alchemy, The Foundation of Science Essay -- Scientific Research

â€Å"As the last drops fell from the glass to my tongue, I wondered - only for an instant - what perhaps I'd never know. What would it taste like, what would it feel like, if that liquid sliding down my throat was not champagne. But the elixir of life† (Neville). The concept of an elixir of life discussed in Katherine Neville’s book, The Eight, is by no means a new concept. In fact, it is one of the main goals of of a group of people, alchemists, who first recorded their workings 2500 years ago (Bateman). Alchemists have greatly shaped much of science and society. Alchemy has a very long history that also reaches around the world. â€Å"Though long associated in the Western world with medieval Europe, alchemy was a philosophy and proto-scientific practice common to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Persia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Greece, and Rome† (Campbell). Alchemy is believed though, to have started in either Egypt or China. (Bateman) â€Å"Alchemy was the attempt to transmute, or change, one substance into another† (Campbell). And alchemy, at its core, â€Å"was an attempt to understand, deconstruct, and reconstruct matter† (Campbell). This is very similar to the purpose of chemistry, which is: to understand matter and the changes matter undergoes. Alchemists were hoping to use their understanding of matter to fulfill three tasks. Alchemists worked to find â€Å"the elixir, a drink that could make a person live forever; the panacea, a medicine that could cure all illnesses; and the Philosopher’s Ston e, which could turn any metal into gold† (Bateman). â€Å"Much of the work of alchemists is remembered as the work of wizards and witches. They made potions and remedies and thought that matter could be transformed using magic† (Bateman). And eve... ..., CT: Brown Bear, 2010. Print. Campbell, Margaret Christine., and Natalie Goldstein. Discovering Atoms. New YorK: Rosen Pub., 2012. Print. Carney, Linda L. "Alchemy in Selected Plays of Shakespeare." Diss. Drake University, 1977. Abstract. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Neville, Katherine. The Eight: A Novel. New York: Ballantine, 1989. Print. Read, John. From Alchemy to Chemistry. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print. Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPrà ©. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: A.A. Levine, 1998. Print. Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Alchemy, The Foundation of Science Essay -- Scientific Research â€Å"As the last drops fell from the glass to my tongue, I wondered - only for an instant - what perhaps I'd never know. What would it taste like, what would it feel like, if that liquid sliding down my throat was not champagne. But the elixir of life† (Neville). The concept of an elixir of life discussed in Katherine Neville’s book, The Eight, is by no means a new concept. In fact, it is one of the main goals of of a group of people, alchemists, who first recorded their workings 2500 years ago (Bateman). Alchemists have greatly shaped much of science and society. Alchemy has a very long history that also reaches around the world. â€Å"Though long associated in the Western world with medieval Europe, alchemy was a philosophy and proto-scientific practice common to ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Persia, India, China, Japan, Korea, Greece, and Rome† (Campbell). Alchemy is believed though, to have started in either Egypt or China. (Bateman) â€Å"Alchemy was the attempt to transmute, or change, one substance into another† (Campbell). And alchemy, at its core, â€Å"was an attempt to understand, deconstruct, and reconstruct matter† (Campbell). This is very similar to the purpose of chemistry, which is: to understand matter and the changes matter undergoes. Alchemists were hoping to use their understanding of matter to fulfill three tasks. Alchemists worked to find â€Å"the elixir, a drink that could make a person live forever; the panacea, a medicine that could cure all illnesses; and the Philosopher’s Ston e, which could turn any metal into gold† (Bateman). â€Å"Much of the work of alchemists is remembered as the work of wizards and witches. They made potions and remedies and thought that matter could be transformed using magic† (Bateman). And eve... ..., CT: Brown Bear, 2010. Print. Campbell, Margaret Christine., and Natalie Goldstein. Discovering Atoms. New YorK: Rosen Pub., 2012. Print. Carney, Linda L. "Alchemy in Selected Plays of Shakespeare." Diss. Drake University, 1977. Abstract. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Neville, Katherine. The Eight: A Novel. New York: Ballantine, 1989. Print. Read, John. From Alchemy to Chemistry. New York: Dover Publications, 1995. Print. Rowling, J. K., and Mary GrandPrà ©. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. New York: A.A. Levine, 1998. Print. Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. . Rowling, J. K. Pottermore. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .