Is there any book that accurately explains the history and nature of alchemy, along with the Philosopher's Stone and the Elixir?
I read Nettleton's The Alchemy Key, but, honestly, it gave a lot of interesting information but near nothing about the history of Alchemy.
>>/x/
I don't want paranormal stuff, bud. I want to know what it actually WAS (history), not what they pretended to be
heh.
James Blish describes some early alchemic experiments in "Doctor Mirabilis"
>I want to know what it actually WAS (history), not what they pretended to be
the history was that they pretended to be alchemists. it was a scam, for the most part; convince a rich patron you can turn lead into gold and ask for money to continue your research. run away when he gets suspicious.
jungs library was online a year ago and had quite a few. my bookmark to the swiss site doesn't work anymore though. try looking for old books in pdf.
Isn't science doing the same thing to the public today?
/x/ has resources up constantly you faggot
You are going to be disappointed, OP.
Before the enlightenment alchemy was basically a name for chemistry, which often was no more interesting or complex than the stuff you did in high school chemistry class. The main differences are their use of more rustic equipment that makes it look more mystical and the belief that metals and their derivatives had more positive properties as medicine than negative.
Chinese alchemists were the same: using minor chemistry to make pills of Mercury to prolong the emperor's life, or so they assumed.
I'm assuming you're more interested in looking into hermeticism than the history of glass blowing and metallurgy.
If my assumption is right, read the Ægypt series. Probably the best way to get a solid basis for all that shit.
Only Tesla
No, it has a lot of philosophy and magical beliefs intermingled.
Man thats actually true. Scientists are no different from alchemists nowadays
No, this is bullshit.
Classical alchemy is to theology what chemistry is to physics. A lot of it was doing experimentation, then working backwards from there to justify it in terms of Plato/Aristotle/Catholicism/Islam/etc. Sure, you can grab little bits of the occult and philosophical shit, but you're honestly better looking off looking at the original sources.
lol explain your point of view then
Not sure if you are agreeing with me, but that was basically my point.
the alchemist by paulo coelho is a good start for a newbie
Most science is legit. The amount of scammers is pretty low. At least in natural sciences, social sciences is a completely different matter.
Sure, but as an activity it boiled down (ha) to chemistry with superstition. Want to be strong as a shield? Boil essence of iron, filter out the bad humors, then condense the precipitate into a pill which then causes internal complications
By the way most alchemists back then were honest about their studies. The scammers for wealthy donors were common but they seem like they were a majority because they were very high profile.
It really depends of the time and actual Alchemist. It's a practice that goes back hundreds of years. Not all the alchemists were superstitious idiots. It was the science of the day, but it was heavily intermingled with religion and magical beliefs.
Science does not teach truths. It teaches relations between facts. What science could achieve is at best alchemy which is empirical and anecdotal truths. Yes sure it is buildinig a huge database of facts but in essense its no different than superstition but supported by an elaborate mathematical and logical model. It is guessing and reluctant to touch metaphysical concepts that define truths. It is unconstructive and unproductive philosophy at best, where it learns nothing and asks everything. A stagnated pool of sense-perception. Seeing the world from the perspective of machines and always craving for more but achieving none. Plato's cave and Blake's mill. That is why there is no difference between alchemy and science, it is held by belief in the senses and common reason, and immortality that is imbued with the moment of discovering the correlation. but what are scientists, but delusioned theologists in disguise, searching blind and godless for a universal formula to the processes of the world, that do not seek to explain or philosophise, but conjure up a pleothora of facts and comitt them to memory. Nothing to the world except for making new expensive machines that supply the fuel of capitalism and enslaving the true possibility of men as philosophers and warriors
Was basically saying that it's there, but it's significance and prevalence is usually exaggerated. If you're into that stuff there are better ways to learn about it
Some of the scammers were legitimately brilliant, they just needed a wealthy patron to give them the resources necessary to continue their studies. This meant humoring their beliefs and doing their horoscopes and shit. Kepler's a good example of this.
Wow. Nice bullshit castle you build right there.
fuck you dawkin fanboy go worship your atheist God and science you plebian were the scums of the earth if not for French revolution
Manly P. Hall
maybe a bit of Gareth Knight
If you really like to read can try Blavatsky's material on alchemy
heavyweight scholars
materialist aspect:
Mircea Eliade, The Forge and the Crucible
epistemic aspect:
Paolo Rossi, Logic and the Art of Memory - Quest for a universal language
psychologic aspect:
Ioan Culianu. Eros and Magic in the Renaissance
authors like Manly P. Hall or Blavatsky didnt respect their audience, written for suckers
you can read the forwod and preface of this book
cakravartin.com
>go worship your atheist God and science
I will
>you plebian were the scums of the earth if not for French revolution
True, but it's no use to shed tears for the past. Remember that when sciences saves your life and makes it better.
Hobbes: Dialogus physicus, sive De natura aeris (as far as I know, there is no English translation)
lol materialist heathen. Have you read the passage in Republic about how medicine does nothing but prolonging the weak and imbecilics lives? MACHINES DO NOTHING MORE BUT PROLONGING THE PATHETIC LIVES OF THE UNDESIRED RACES. Scientists did not build human civilisation, poets, warriors and priests did. Living for a better life is the kind of thing lowly peasants with no goal in life but fucking and making babies like animals would say. GOD, PHILOSOPHY AND ART ARE THE REASON WHY HUMANS EXIST
Why do you mean by materialistic aspect.
Also for psychology wouldnt Carl Jung be a good candidate
Plato was wrong about everything and neoplatonists are LARPers and retards.
Appeal to authority?
Really?
And Plato of all things. The most overrated Greek philosopher only famous because Christcucks needed some kind of philosophical justification. By his own merits he should be in the trashcan of history.
lol i guess i offended your "politically correct" opinion on Christianity and Platonism
Why are you being such an igonorant fool whilst pretending to be intelligent. Dont you know its utterly imbeclic for a lowly peon with no notion of literacy to overreach yoru craft of farming and trading and doing maths to mateirial happenings and critise philosophers and philosophy. Dont you know yoru place in the society thats the very botom as servants to your lords? I guess you live in a democratic country then. lol
Please don't write while you are having a fit. It makes reading very difficult.