caused a distrustfulness among the scientists, but also, on the other hand, this
concept has been widely abused and welcomed in pseudo-sciences. However, the
duality is not a sort of exotic property of particles, but rather the special relationship
between the explorer and the explored. While the results of one experiment could
be interpreted by the wave nature, for the instance of electron, other experiments
were better explained by the behaviour of particles. Since the interpretation of the
nature became dependent on the subjective choice of the experimenter, the intellectual base for the scientific revolution called quantum mechanics has been created. The untouched and independent nature explained as the superposition of all
the possible states is for us unreachable and unknowable. The act of cognition is
possible only after grasping of the curious man in this coherent situation, but on the
way, that this grasp in the same time changes the observed nature in accordance
with the intentions of the explorer. The reality is such as we wish to see it: the
entanglement of the subject, observer, and the object, observed. Obviously, the
duality of nature, as well as the destruction of the subject-object is omnipresent in
scientific epistemology, but its ancient roots have its origin in protochemistry and
alchemy.
Subjective-objective approach in alchemy is manifested also as the duality of
esoterism and exsoterism, alchemy is speculative and operative. This duality is a
source of the future scientific methodology, which consists from theory and experiment. However, alchemical speculative proto-theory becomes more and more
introspective, and it has departed from the rational experimental practice. Philipus
Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus ex Familia von Hohenheim Paracelsus
(1493–1541), the historical synonym for the European alchemist, has developed the
esotery till the unexpected proportions. His “arcanic”, secret language in alchemical
scripts seems to be understandable only to himself. Paracelsian learning by which
the disease is the consequence of the disturbation of the equilibrium between the
three principles, salt, sulphur, and mercury, should be perceived as a metaphor
intended for use only of the most lettered people. In spite to this, Paracelsus paves
new ways that finally arrived to chemistry as a science. Although Paracelsus did not
renounce the concept of four elements and three principles from which he has
developed his alchemical theory of medicine, the iatrochemistry, he has transferred
the idea about the reflection of events in haven to events on Earth into the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm. For Paracelsus, the observable world
could be explainable only after our knowledge of the invisible microcosm. Thus,
the visible reality is not only the hierarchical top-down relation from the superlunary immobile spheres, but also the bottom-up dynamics that origins from an
elusive microcosm.
While the speculative alchemy circulated in vicious cycle of the word-play, the
operative alchemy has progressed. Number of experiments has accumulated; the
laboratory experience has grown with filling the laboratory books by adding new
observations. At the end of 16th century, the observable experimental alchemy was
almost completely unexplainable within the traditional Aristotelian concepts. The
idea about four elements became useless!
44
4 Alchemy
concept has been widely abused and welcomed in pseudo-sciences. However, the
duality is not a sort of exotic property of particles, but rather the special relationship
between the explorer and the explored. While the results of one experiment could
be interpreted by the wave nature, for the instance of electron, other experiments
were better explained by the behaviour of particles. Since the interpretation of the
nature became dependent on the subjective choice of the experimenter, the intellectual base for the scientific revolution called quantum mechanics has been created. The untouched and independent nature explained as the superposition of all
the possible states is for us unreachable and unknowable. The act of cognition is
possible only after grasping of the curious man in this coherent situation, but on the
way, that this grasp in the same time changes the observed nature in accordance
with the intentions of the explorer. The reality is such as we wish to see it: the
entanglement of the subject, observer, and the object, observed. Obviously, the
duality of nature, as well as the destruction of the subject-object is omnipresent in
scientific epistemology, but its ancient roots have its origin in protochemistry and
alchemy.
Subjective-objective approach in alchemy is manifested also as the duality of
esoterism and exsoterism, alchemy is speculative and operative. This duality is a
source of the future scientific methodology, which consists from theory and experiment. However, alchemical speculative proto-theory becomes more and more
introspective, and it has departed from the rational experimental practice. Philipus
Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus ex Familia von Hohenheim Paracelsus
(1493–1541), the historical synonym for the European alchemist, has developed the
esotery till the unexpected proportions. His “arcanic”, secret language in alchemical
scripts seems to be understandable only to himself. Paracelsian learning by which
the disease is the consequence of the disturbation of the equilibrium between the
three principles, salt, sulphur, and mercury, should be perceived as a metaphor
intended for use only of the most lettered people. In spite to this, Paracelsus paves
new ways that finally arrived to chemistry as a science. Although Paracelsus did not
renounce the concept of four elements and three principles from which he has
developed his alchemical theory of medicine, the iatrochemistry, he has transferred
the idea about the reflection of events in haven to events on Earth into the relationship between microcosm and macrocosm. For Paracelsus, the observable world
could be explainable only after our knowledge of the invisible microcosm. Thus,
the visible reality is not only the hierarchical top-down relation from the superlunary immobile spheres, but also the bottom-up dynamics that origins from an
elusive microcosm.
While the speculative alchemy circulated in vicious cycle of the word-play, the
operative alchemy has progressed. Number of experiments has accumulated; the
laboratory experience has grown with filling the laboratory books by adding new
observations. At the end of 16th century, the observable experimental alchemy was
almost completely unexplainable within the traditional Aristotelian concepts. The
idea about four elements became useless!
44
4 Alchemy