Abstract
Andreas Libavius’ (c. 1555–1616) three part collection of letters, the Rerum chymicarum epistolica forma ... liber (1595–1599) is a particularly important text in fashioning the subject of chemistry as a demonstrative science and as a didactic discipline. Where Libavius’ Alchemia, which some have claimed to be the first textbook of chemistry, had mostly a humanist agenda, the Rerum chymicarum ... liber more directly sought to wrest the subject of “chemistry” away from Paracelsian adepts, and established the methodological basis for a specific form of knowledge suitable to the university. Making use of Aristotle’s Posterior analytics Libavius created a “floor-plan” for chemistry that integrated practical experience with natural philosophy, and could thus, he claimed, penetrate more deeply into the structure of nature than other academic disciplines.
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Moran, B.T. Axioms, Essences, and Mostly Clean Hands: Preparing to Teach Chemistry with Libavius and Aristotle. Sci Educ 15, 173–187 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-004-2013-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-004-2013-1