All That Glitters
“The medieval alchemists sought methods for forming gold out of cheaper metals. They failed and are sneered at in consequence. In the process of searching, however, they discovered the strong acids: sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and hydrochloric acid–substances infinitely more useful to modern industry that gold could possibly be. They get no credit for this.”
They get a little credit, because this is known facts. But, we don’t really know their names. However…
“Isaac Newton spent considerable time and effort seeking the philosopher’s stone, hoping with its help to make gold.”
Newton was the Master of the Royal Mint for 28 years (1699-1727), and was instrumental in getting Britain on the gold standard. However, it wasn’t until nine years after his death that any of his writings on alchemy became known, when they were sold at auction by Sotheby’s. Their acquirer, in 1736, was none other than
John Maynard Keynes. He stated that Newton wasn’t only one of the first scientists of the enlightenment, he was also one of the last magicians.
In all, Newton wrote over 1 million words on the subject of alchemy.
How many of our great discoveries and inventions have been due to the alchemy of turning magic into science? Kudos to the greats like Newton who weren’t afraid of looking like a kook for his “magical thinking”.