Corpuscularianism, also known as corpuscularism (from Latin corpusculum 'little body' and -ism), is a set of theories that explain natural transformations as a result of the interaction of particles (minima naturalia, partes exiles, partes parvae, particulae, and semina). It differs from atomism in that corpuscles are usually endowed with a property of their own and are further divisible, while atoms are neither. Although often associated with the emergence of early modern mechanical philosophy, and especially with the names of Thomas Hobbes,René Descartes,Pierre Gassendi,Robert Boyle,Isaac Newton, and John Locke, corpuscularian theories can be found throughout the history of Western philosophy.
Overview
Corpuscles vs. atoms
Corpuscularianism is similar to the theory of atomism, except that where atoms were supposed to be indivisible, corpuscles could in principle be divided. In this manner, for example, it was theorized that mercury could penetrate into metals and modify their inner structure, a step on the way towards the production of gold by transmutation.
Perceived vs. real properties
Corpuscularianism was associated by its leading proponents with the idea that some of the apparent properties of objects are artifacts of the perceiving mind, that is, "secondary" qualities as distinguished from "primary" qualities. Corpuscles were thought to be unobservable and having a very limited number of basic properties, such as size, shape, and motion.
Thomas Hobbes
The philosopher Thomas Hobbes used corpuscularianism to justify his political theories in Leviathan. It was used by Newton in his development of the corpuscular theory of light, while Boyle used it to develop his mechanical corpuscular philosophy, which laid the foundations for the Chemical Revolution.
Robert Boyle
Corpuscularianism remained a dominant theory for centuries and was blended with alchemy by early scientists such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton in the 17th century. In his work The Sceptical Chymist (1661), Boyle abandoned the Aristotelian ideas of the classical elements—earth, water, air, and fire—in favor of corpuscularianism. In his later work, The Origin of Forms and Qualities (1666), Boyle used corpuscularianism to explain all of the major Aristotelian concepts, marking a departure from traditional Aristotelianism.
Light corpuscules
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Alchemical corpuscularianism
William R. Newman traces the origins from the fourth book of Aristotle, Meteorology. The "dry" and "moist" exhalations of Aristotle became the alchemical 'sulfur' and 'mercury' of the eighth-century Islamic alchemist, Jābir ibn Hayyān (died c. 806–816). Pseudo-Geber's Summa perfectionis contains an alchemical theory in which unified sulfur and mercury corpuscles, differing in purity, size, and relative proportions, form the basis of a much more complicated process.
Importance to the development of modern scientific theory
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2012) |
Several of the principles which corpuscularianism proposed became tenets of modern chemistry.
- The idea that compounds can have secondary properties that differ from the properties of the elements which are combined to make them became the basis of molecular chemistry.
- The idea that the same elements can be predictably combined in different ratios using different methods to create compounds with radically different properties became the basis of stoichiometry, crystallography, and established studies of chemical synthesis.
- The ability of chemical processes to alter the composition of an object without significantly altering its form is the basis of fossil theory via mineralization and the understanding of numerous metallurgical, biological, and geological processes.
See also
- Atomic theory
- Atomism
- Classical element
- History of chemistry
References
- Bigotti, Fabrizio (2020), "Corpuscularianism", in Jalobeanu, Dana; Wolfe, Charles T. (eds.), Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 1–13, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-20791-9_133-1, ISBN 978-3-319-20791-9, retrieved 2021-04-12
- Kenneth Clatterbaugh, The Causation Debate in Modern Philosophy, 1637-1739, Routledge, 2014, p. 69.
- Stephen Gaukroger, Descartes: An Intellectual Biography, Clarendon Press, 1995, p. 228.
- Slowik, E. (2021). Zalta, E. N. (ed.). "Descartes' Physics". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 ed.).
- Vere Claiborne Chappell (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Locke, Cambridge University Press, 1994, p. 56.
- MacIntosh, J. J.; Anstey, P.; Jones, J-E. (2022). Zalta, E. N.; Nodelman, U. (eds.). "Robert Boyle". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2022 ed.).
- virginia.edu – Newton's Particle Theory of Light Lecture notes. Lindgren, Richard A. Research Professor of Physics. University of Virginia, Department of Physics.
- Kochiras, H. (2020). Zalta, E. N. (ed.). "Locke's Philosophy of Science". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2020 ed.).
- Jones, J-E. (2023). Zalta, E. N.; Nodelman, U. (eds.). "Locke on Real Essence". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2023 ed.).
- The Mechanical Philosophy Archived June 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine - Early modern 'atomism' ("corpuscularianism" as it was known)
- Ursula Klein (July 2007), "Styles of Experimentation and Alchemical Matter Theory in the Scientific Revolution", Metascience, 16 (2), Springer: 247–256 esp. 247, doi:10.1007/s11016-007-9095-8, ISSN 1467-9981
- Osler, Margaret J. (2010). Reconfiguring the World. Nature, God, and Human Understanding, from the Middle Ages to Early-Modern Europe. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-8018-9656-9.
- Lüthy, Murdoch & Newman 2001, p. 306.
- Newman 2006, p. 13. On the sulfur-mercury theory of metals, see Norris 2006, and especially Newman 2014.
Bibliography
- Bigotti, Fabrizio (2017). "A Previously Unknown Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century: Santorio's Marginalia to the Commentaria in Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae (1625)". Ambix. 64 (1): 29–42. doi:10.1080/00026980.2017.1287550. PMC 5470109. PMID 28350287.
- Clericuzio, Antonio (2000). Elements, Principles and Corpuscles: A Study of Atomism and Chemistry in the Seventeenth Century. Dordrecht: Kluwer. ISBN 978-0-7923-6782-6.
- Lasswitz, Kurd (1890). Geschichte der Atomistik vom Mittelalter bis Newton. Band 1: Die Erneuerung der Korpuskulartheorie. Band 2: Höhepunkt und Verfall der Korpuskulartheorie des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts. Hamburg-Leipzig: Voss. OCLC 2361346.
- Lüthy, Christoph; Murdoch, John E.; Newman, William R., eds. (2001). Late Medieval and Early Modern Corpuscular Matter Theories. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11516-3.
- Newman, William R. (1993). "The Corpuscular Theory of J.B. Van Helmont and its Medieval Sources". Vivarium. 31 (1): 161–191. doi:10.1163/156853493X00132.
- Newman, William R. (1994). "Robert Boyle's Debt to Corpuscular Alchemy". In Hunter, Michael (ed.). Robert Boyle Reconsidered. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 107–118.
- Newman, William R. (1996). "The Alchemical Sources of Robert Boyle's Corpuscular Philosophy". Annals of Science. 53 (6): 567–585. doi:10.1080/00033799600200401.
- Newman, William R. (2001). "Corpuscular Alchemy and the Tradition of Aristotle's Meteorology, with Special Reference to Daniel Sennert". International Studies in the Philosophy of Science. 15 (2): 145–153. doi:10.1080/02698590120059013.
- Newman, William R. (2006). Atoms and Alchemy: Chymistry and the Experimental Origins of the Scientific Revolution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-57697-8.
- Newman, William R. (2014). "Mercury and Sulphur among the High Medieval Alchemists: From Razi and Avicenna to Albertus Magnus and Pseudo-Roger Bacon". Ambix. 62 (4): 327–344. doi:10.1179/1745823414Y.0000000004. PMID 25509633.
- Norris, John A. (2006). "The Mineral Exhalation Theory of Metallogenesis in Pre-Modern Mineral Science". Ambix. 53: 43–65. doi:10.1179/174582306X93183.
- Pabst, Bernhard (1994). Atomtheorien des lateinischen Mittelalters. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft.
Further reading
- Lüthy, Christoph; Murdoch, John E.; Newman, William R., eds. (2001). Late Medieval and Early Modern Corpuscular Matter Theories. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11516-3.
Corpuscularianism also known as corpuscularism from Latin corpusculum little body and ism is a set of theories that explain natural transformations as a result of the interaction of particles minima naturalia partes exiles partes parvae particulae and semina It differs from atomism in that corpuscles are usually endowed with a property of their own and are further divisible while atoms are neither Although often associated with the emergence of early modern mechanical philosophy and especially with the names of Thomas Hobbes Rene Descartes Pierre Gassendi Robert Boyle Isaac Newton and John Locke corpuscularian theories can be found throughout the history of Western philosophy OverviewCorpuscles vs atoms Corpuscularianism is similar to the theory of atomism except that where atoms were supposed to be indivisible corpuscles could in principle be divided In this manner for example it was theorized that mercury could penetrate into metals and modify their inner structure a step on the way towards the production of gold by transmutation Perceived vs real properties Corpuscularianism was associated by its leading proponents with the idea that some of the apparent properties of objects are artifacts of the perceiving mind that is secondary qualities as distinguished from primary qualities Corpuscles were thought to be unobservable and having a very limited number of basic properties such as size shape and motion Thomas Hobbes The philosopher Thomas Hobbes used corpuscularianism to justify his political theories in Leviathan It was used by Newton in his development of the corpuscular theory of light while Boyle used it to develop his mechanical corpuscular philosophy which laid the foundations for the Chemical Revolution Robert Boyle Corpuscularianism remained a dominant theory for centuries and was blended with alchemy by early scientists such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton in the 17th century In his work The Sceptical Chymist 1661 Boyle abandoned the Aristotelian ideas of the classical elements earth water air and fire in favor of corpuscularianism In his later work The Origin of Forms and Qualities 1666 Boyle used corpuscularianism to explain all of the major Aristotelian concepts marking a departure from traditional Aristotelianism Light corpusculesThis section is empty You can help by adding to it October 2024 Alchemical corpuscularianismWilliam R Newman traces the origins from the fourth book of Aristotle Meteorology The dry and moist exhalations of Aristotle became the alchemical sulfur and mercury of the eighth century Islamic alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan died c 806 816 Pseudo Geber s Summa perfectionis contains an alchemical theory in which unified sulfur and mercury corpuscles differing in purity size and relative proportions form the basis of a much more complicated process Importance to the development of modern scientific theoryThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed January 2012 Learn how and when to remove this message Several of the principles which corpuscularianism proposed became tenets of modern chemistry The idea that compounds can have secondary properties that differ from the properties of the elements which are combined to make them became the basis of molecular chemistry The idea that the same elements can be predictably combined in different ratios using different methods to create compounds with radically different properties became the basis of stoichiometry crystallography and established studies of chemical synthesis The ability of chemical processes to alter the composition of an object without significantly altering its form is the basis of fossil theory via mineralization and the understanding of numerous metallurgical biological and geological processes See alsoAtomic theory Atomism Classical element History of chemistryReferencesBigotti Fabrizio 2020 Corpuscularianism in Jalobeanu Dana Wolfe Charles T eds Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and the Sciences Cham Springer International Publishing pp 1 13 doi 10 1007 978 3 319 20791 9 133 1 ISBN 978 3 319 20791 9 retrieved 2021 04 12 Kenneth Clatterbaugh The Causation Debate in Modern Philosophy 1637 1739 Routledge 2014 p 69 Stephen Gaukroger Descartes An Intellectual Biography Clarendon Press 1995 p 228 Slowik E 2021 Zalta E N ed Descartes Physics The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Winter 2021 ed Vere Claiborne Chappell ed The Cambridge Companion to Locke Cambridge University Press 1994 p 56 MacIntosh J J Anstey P Jones J E 2022 Zalta E N Nodelman U eds Robert Boyle The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Winter 2022 ed virginia edu Newton s Particle Theory of Light Lecture notes Lindgren Richard A Research Professor of Physics University of Virginia Department of Physics Kochiras H 2020 Zalta E N ed Locke s Philosophy of Science The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Spring 2020 ed Jones J E 2023 Zalta E N Nodelman U eds Locke on Real Essence The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Summer 2023 ed The Mechanical Philosophy Archived June 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Early modern atomism corpuscularianism as it was known Ursula Klein July 2007 Styles of Experimentation and Alchemical Matter Theory in the Scientific Revolution Metascience 16 2 Springer 247 256 esp 247 doi 10 1007 s11016 007 9095 8 ISSN 1467 9981 Osler Margaret J 2010 Reconfiguring the World Nature God and Human Understanding from the Middle Ages to Early Modern Europe Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press p 127 ISBN 978 0 8018 9656 9 Luthy Murdoch amp Newman 2001 p 306 Newman 2006 p 13 On the sulfur mercury theory of metals see Norris 2006 and especially Newman 2014 BibliographyBigotti Fabrizio 2017 A Previously Unknown Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century Santorio s Marginalia to the Commentaria in Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae 1625 Ambix 64 1 29 42 doi 10 1080 00026980 2017 1287550 PMC 5470109 PMID 28350287 Clericuzio Antonio 2000 Elements Principles and Corpuscles A Study of Atomism and Chemistry in the Seventeenth Century Dordrecht Kluwer ISBN 978 0 7923 6782 6 Lasswitz Kurd 1890 Geschichte der Atomistik vom Mittelalter bis Newton Band 1 Die Erneuerung der Korpuskulartheorie Band 2 Hohepunkt und Verfall der Korpuskulartheorie des siebzehnten Jahrhunderts Hamburg Leipzig Voss OCLC 2361346 Luthy Christoph Murdoch John E Newman William R eds 2001 Late Medieval and Early Modern Corpuscular Matter Theories Leiden Brill ISBN 978 90 04 11516 3 Newman William R 1993 The Corpuscular Theory of J B Van Helmont and its Medieval Sources Vivarium 31 1 161 191 doi 10 1163 156853493X00132 Newman William R 1994 Robert Boyle s Debt to Corpuscular Alchemy In Hunter Michael ed Robert Boyle Reconsidered Cambridge Cambridge University Press pp 107 118 Newman William R 1996 The Alchemical Sources of Robert Boyle s Corpuscular Philosophy Annals of Science 53 6 567 585 doi 10 1080 00033799600200401 Newman William R 2001 Corpuscular Alchemy and the Tradition of Aristotle s Meteorology with Special Reference to Daniel Sennert International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 15 2 145 153 doi 10 1080 02698590120059013 Newman William R 2006 Atoms and Alchemy Chymistry and the Experimental Origins of the Scientific Revolution Chicago University of Chicago Press ISBN 978 0 226 57697 8 Newman William R 2014 Mercury and Sulphur among the High Medieval Alchemists From Razi and Avicenna to Albertus Magnus and Pseudo Roger Bacon Ambix 62 4 327 344 doi 10 1179 1745823414Y 0000000004 PMID 25509633 Norris John A 2006 The Mineral Exhalation Theory of Metallogenesis in Pre Modern Mineral Science Ambix 53 43 65 doi 10 1179 174582306X93183 Pabst Bernhard 1994 Atomtheorien des lateinischen Mittelalters Darmstadt Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft Further readingLuthy Christoph Murdoch John E Newman William R eds 2001 Late Medieval and Early Modern Corpuscular Matter Theories Leiden Brill ISBN 978 90 04 11516 3
