Promethean Ambitions: Alchemy and the Quest to Perfect Nature
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In Promethean Ambitions, William R. Newman uses alchemy as a means to discuss the thinning boundary between the natural and the artificial. Focusing primarily on the period between 1200 and 1700, Newman examines the labors of pioneering alchemists and the impassioned—and often negative—responses to their efforts. Newman also shows that alchemy was not an unformed and capricious precursor to chemistry; it was an art founded on coherent philosophical and empirical principles—with vocal supporters and even louder critics—that attracted individuals of first-rate intellect. The historical relationship that he charts here between human creation and nature has innumerable implications today. Promethean Ambitions ably imbues a millennium-old scientific and ethical debate with modern relevance.
“With close attention to historical and textual detail that is never less than engaging, Newman unpacks the historical accidents and political machinations that led to alchemy’s marginalization, bringing sympathy, wit and imagination to his account.”—Simon Ings, New Scientist
“Newman chooses the fascinating topic of alchemy as his case study in the long history of human efforts to breach the barriers between nature and human artifice. . . . A thought-provoking book.”—Iwan Rhys Morus, Science
Publisher : University of Chicago Press (August 15, 2005)
Language : English
Paperback : 352 pages
ISBN-10 : 0226575241
ISBN-13 : 978-0226575247
Item Weight : 1.14 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 9 inches
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Jim Davis –
Five star book; Kindle edition well below standard
I decided to give this book a try after listening to an interview of the author on the “MonsterTalk” podcast. The book is a fascinating read but is not the most accessible book a layman could wish for. The book has all the trappings of serious scholarship and gives every appearance of one scholar writing for others. Despite this, the book does reward the effort of an intelligent layman to keep pace. The art-nature debate has been raging much longer than most moderns appreciate. The central role of alchemy in this debate is also under appreciated by moderns due to niche modern tradition has assigned it nearer to sorcery than chemistry. Nevertheless, as the book clearly shows, some of the greatest minds of the late Middle Ages to early Modern Age took it quite seriously.If one is approaching this book as a layman (as I did) I strongly recommend reading this book on a Kindle or other e-reader despite the fact that the Kindle version is horrible. Further, I recommend that the book be read on a device that has a touch interface. The reasons for this is that all but the most erudite readers will have their vocabularies and knowledge of Latin challenged. Virtually every page has words that will be unfamiliar or phrases that will need translating. The Kindle’s dictionaries frequently met their match and offered Wikipedia and Google as alternatives. The print version of this book could have been a real chore to slog through; with the above resources available at a touch, a pleasant education.The Kindle version is, as sated above, simply horrible with all the artifacts and shortcomings of a machine translation of a print copy with no human proofreading. There are words run together (“ofa”, “withthe”), hyphens in mid line, no chapter markings on the progress bar, unlinked illustrations, useless index, and the color plates buried in the middle of the book with no way to easily access them except to bookmark them. (They are at Location 1635.) All the above do not make the book unreadable, fortunately. The notes are linked, which is a big help.The book can be highly recommended but the layman cannot expect any spoon feeding. This is not a book that can be read during the commercial breaks.
MN –
Well worth the effort & study
I greatly enjoyed this excellent book, even though it was quite an undertaking to really absorb. It’s a book you’ll read a bit, then think about, then come back to, working though it and letting each bit you take in trickle through your consciousness before you move on.As a practicing Alchemist myself, I especially enjoyed the clear explanation of our Western philosophical lineage and the Hermetic tradition that stretches back to the Greeks and before. Whether we realize it or not, here in the US at least, we are educated in this tradition, and think a certain way because of it; the tendency to look to the East for all things spiritual is unfortunate when we have so, so much native to our own culture. This book brings that line right down through the ages, and made me see that I have many more “ancestors” than I thought!The main theme of the book, Alchemy as the language and arena for the discussion of Art and Nature, is also brought to more modern relevance than might be expected, and examining our scientific heritage through that lens is very useful philosophically. After reading this book, when I hear debates about genetic modification, artificial intelligence, and the like, I realize that these discussions have been taking place for centuries, and the ancients’ explorations of these questions have much to teach us now.
Albert Hand –
most accessible text from the top alchemy scholar
William Newman is one of the most knowledgeable experts and a key pioneer in alchemical studies, and this is his most readable, engaging, and socially relevant book. Those who wish to learn about the history of alchemy should start here, and will find references to the next logical steps in the study, but this book is also important for those who wish to understand more about the way our culture understands life using science. Many urgent issues in the philosophy of biology and medical ethics have long been the province of alchemists, which Newman demonstrates with clarity and grace, and anybody interested in these topics will find much of deep interest here. Buy it as a present for any educated person who doesn’t understand why people should study Alchemy. Encourage your library to carry a copy. Well worth the price of admission.
D. Callow –
A great book on the background of Alchemy and the arguments thrown against this ancient spiritual system and philosophical art form.