Ducheyne, Steffen (2006) JOAN BAPTISTA VAN HELMONT AND THE QUESTION OF EXPERIMENTAL MODERNISM. [Preprint]
![[img]](https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/fileicons/doc.png) |
Microsoft Word (.doc)
Van_Helmont.doc Download (1MB) |
Abstract
In this paper, I take up the question to what extent and in which sense we can conceive of Johannes Baptista Van Helmont’s (1579-1644) style of experimenting as “modern”. Connected to this question, I shall reflect upon what Van Helmont’s precise contribution to experimental practice was. I will argue - after analysing some of Van Helmont's experiments such as his tree-experiment, ice-experiment, and thermoscope experiment - that Van Helmont had a strong preference to locate experimental designs in places wherein variables can be more easily controlled (and in the limit, in relatively closed physical systems such as paradigmatically the vessel, globe or sphere (vas, globus, sphera)). After having reviewed some alternative candidates, I shall argue that Van Helmont’s usage of relatively isolated physical systems and a moderate degree of quantification, whereby mathematical procedures mainly refer to guaranteeing that quantities are conserved by roughly determining them, are the characteristics that best captures his contributions to “modern” experimentation.
| Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
| Social Networking: |
| Item Type: | Preprint | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creators: |
|
||||||
| Keywords: | J.B. Van Helmont (1579-1644), Ortus Medicinae, Dageraad, controlled experimentation, scientia operativa, quantification, (relatively) closed physical systems, scientific methodology | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Depositing User: | Steffen Ducheyne | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 10 Apr 2006 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 07 Oct 2010 15:14 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 2701 | ||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Chemistry General Issues > Experimentation General Issues > History of Science Case Studies |
||||||
| Date: | April 2006 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/2701 |
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[feed]](http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/style/images/feed-icon-32x32.png){kind=icon}