The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum describes in two volumes the emergence and further deve-lopment of the concept of molecule in the sciences and so against the background of Epicurus’ neoatomism as voiced by Lucretius. ‘Sciences’ is here taken in the broad sense, that is: to comprise not only the exact sciences and the life sciences, but also mathematics and (natural) philo-sophy. This volume first assesses, in three chapters, the period up until 1800. It next gives, in separate chapters, the vicissitudes of the molecular theory in physics and chemistry, respectively, during the 19th century.
As it happened, the molecular theory came up in the Netherlands. It was invented by the natural philosopher and medicinae doctor Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637). Beeckman, a close friend of a still youthful Descartes, developed a discrete picture of the world, in which the mole-cular theory featured prominently, together with a taylor-made mathe-matics. At the end of the 18th century the molecular theory had grown into molecularism, a real Theory of Everything. Indeed, both 19th century’s physics and chemistry appear to be essentially molecular sciences.
The second volume of The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum addresses in the first chapters the deve-lopment of biology and medicine and of crystallography and mineralogy during the 19th century. In this period biology lived its emancipation as a life science sui generis, while crystallography branched off from minera-logy. A separate chapter deals with the rise of a uniform system of units, the so-called Système international des unités, with particular attention for the molecular aspects. Up until 1925-1940 the development of the molecular theory in the different domains is analyzed in detail. For the later period the course of events is only sketched in using twelve relevant Nobel Prizes (Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine).
An edition of The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum
(2022)
The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum
Second edition
by Henk Kubbinga
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Last edited by Henk Kubbinga
February 10, 2023 | History
This second edition reduces to a corrected and updated version of the first edition of 2009 published by Groningen University Press. An important novelty compared to the first edition concerns the details of the calculation that led Max Planck in 1899-1900 to the introudction of a new ‘natural constant’, h, which came to be called after him. Oddly enough, not one post-1900 textbook of (Quantum) Physics gives those details; historians up till now discretely begged the question. Surprisingly, then, our sustained endeavors to follow the molecular theory in its various contexts led us to Planck’s itinarery (2000, 2018). More generally, throughout the book all historically relevant mathematics has been addressed: demonstrations of propositions (Archimedes), deductions of formulae (Clausius, Maxwell, Boltzmann, Perrin), the role of graphics – measured, calculated and/or constructed – (Andrews, Thomson, Van der Waals; Meijer, Wien, Planck), not to speak of countless chemical calculations (Dalton, Avogadro, Berzelius, Dumas, Kopp, ..). On the other hand, it can no longer surprise that the infinitesimal calculus developed in parallel with the molecular theory (Beeckman, Cavalieri, Leibniz, ..). And: Van der Waals’ equation of state reduces to an equation of the third degree. However, among the most compelling results counts the estranging way in which Einstein arrived at General Relativity: his 1911 formula doesn’t work, its outcome being ‘borrowed’ from Soldner (1801).
Compared to the 2009 edition the hard core of the book remained unaltered, that is, as to the role of the molecular theory in the other sciences. It led to the cellular theory of the Life Sciences (1749; 1820) and resurfaced, later, at the level of the chromosomes (1915). In Crystallography it played a pivotal role up to the discovery of Röntgen diffraction by crystals (Laue et al. 1912). Even Philosophy got involved: Comte’s positivism derived straightforwardly from Laplace’ molecularism. Laplace’s nebular hypothesis, pure Astronomy, was on the minds of the intelligentsia all over the world. In Chemistry it produced the notion ‘mole’, one of the corner stones of the Système international [..]. Optical isomerism, in the sense of Van ‘t Hoff and Le Bel, proved crucial.
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atomism, molecularism, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, crystallography, mineralogy, philosophyTimes
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The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum
2022, Groningen University Press
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Page 964, lxiv,
added by Henk Kubbinga.
This excerpt derives from the back cover texts of the two volumes.
The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum describes in two volumes the emergence and further deve-lopment of the concept of molecule in the sciences and so against the background of Epicurus’ neoatomism as voiced by Lucretius. ‘Sciences’ is here taken in the broad sense, that is: to comprise not only the exact sciences and the life sciences, but also mathematics and (natural) philo-sophy. This volume first assesses, in three chapters, the period up until 1800. It next gives, in separate chapters, the vicissitudes of the molecular theory in physics and chemistry, respectively, during the 19th century.
As it happened, the molecular theory came up in the Netherlands. It was invented by the natural philosopher and medicinae doctor Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637). Beeckman, a close friend of a still youthful Descartes, developed a discrete picture of the world, in which the mole-cular theory featured prominently, together with a taylor-made mathe-matics. At the end of the 18th century the molecular theory had grown into molecularism, a real Theory of Everything. Indeed, both 19th century’s physics and chemistry appear to be essentially molecular sciences.
The second volume of The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum addresses in the first chapters the deve-lopment of biology and medicine and of crystallography and mineralogy during the 19th century. In this period biology lived its emancipation as a life science sui generis, while crystallography branched off from minera-logy. A separate chapter deals with the rise of a uniform system of units, the so-called Système international des unités, with particular attention for the molecular aspects. Up until 1925-1940 the development of the molecular theory in the different domains is analyzed in detail. For the later period the course of events is only sketched in using twelve relevant Nobel Prizes (Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine).
As it happened, the molecular theory came up in the Netherlands. It was invented by the natural philosopher and medicinae doctor Isaac Beeckman (1588-1637). Beeckman, a close friend of a still youthful Descartes, developed a discrete picture of the world, in which the mole-cular theory featured prominently, together with a taylor-made mathe-matics. At the end of the 18th century the molecular theory had grown into molecularism, a real Theory of Everything. Indeed, both 19th century’s physics and chemistry appear to be essentially molecular sciences.
The second volume of The molecularization of the world picture, or the rise of the Universum Arausiacum addresses in the first chapters the deve-lopment of biology and medicine and of crystallography and mineralogy during the 19th century. In this period biology lived its emancipation as a life science sui generis, while crystallography branched off from minera-logy. A separate chapter deals with the rise of a uniform system of units, the so-called Système international des unités, with particular attention for the molecular aspects. Up until 1925-1940 the development of the molecular theory in the different domains is analyzed in detail. For the later period the course of events is only sketched in using twelve relevant Nobel Prizes (Physics, Chemistry, and Physiology or Medicine).
Page 964, lxiv,
added by Henk Kubbinga.
This excerpt derives from the back cover texts of the two volumes.
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| February 10, 2023 | Edited by Henk Kubbinga | Edited without comment. |
| February 9, 2023 | Created by Henk Kubbinga | Added new book. |