The image of Robert Boyle owes much to a series of evaluations of him written shortly after his death by men who had known him well, such as John Evelyn, Gilbert Burnet and Sir Peter Pett. This book includes a selection of these previously unpublished texts.

The image of Robert Boyle owes much to a series of evaluations of him written shortly after his death by men who had known him well, such as John Evelyn, Gilbert Burnet and Sir Peter Pett. This book includes a selection of these previously unpublished texts.

Reproduction of the original: The Sceptical Chymist by Robert Boyle

From a variety of perspectives, the essays presented here explore the profound interdependence of natural philosophy and rational religion in the `long seventeenth century' that begins with the burning of Bruno in 1600 and ends with the Enlightenment in the early Eighteenth century. From the writings of Grotius on natural law and natural religion, and the speculative, libertin novels of Cyrano de Bergerac, to the better-known works of Descartes, Malebranche, Cudworth, Leibniz, Boyle, Spinoza, Newton, and Locke, an increasing emphasis was placed on the rational relationship between religious doctrine, natural law, and a personal divine providence. While evidence for this intrinsic relationship was to be located in different places - in the ideas already present in the mind, in the observations and experiments of the natural philosophers, and even in the history, present experience, and prophesied future of mankind - the result enabled and shaped the broader intellectual and scientific discourses of the Enlightenment.

The seventeenth century in Western Europe remains the key time and place for the development of modern science; the basic theme of this book is what the nature of seventeenth-century archives can tell us about this development, through a series of case studies (Boyle, Galileo, Huygens, Newton included). Manuscript collections created by the individuals and institutions who were responsible for the scientific revolution offer valuable evidence of the intellectual aspirations and working practices of the principal protagonists. This volume is the first to explore such archives, focusing on the ways in which ideas were formulated, stored and disseminated, and opening up understanding of the process of intellectual change. It analyses the characteristics andhistory of the archives of such leading intellectuals as Robert Boyle, Galileo Galilei, G.W. Leibniz, Isaac Newton and William Petty; also considered are the new scientific institutions founded at the time, the Royal Society andthe Académie des Sciences. In each case, significant broader findings emerge concerning the nature and role of such holdings; an introductory essay discusses the interpretation and exploitation of archives. MICHAEL HUNTERis Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London. Contributors: MICHAEL HUNTER, MASSIMO BUCCIANTINI, MARK GREENGRASS, ROBERT A. HATCH, FRANCES HARRIS, JOELLA YODER, DOMENICO BERTOLONI MELI, ROB ILIFFE, JAMES G.O'HARA, MORDECHAI FEINGOLD, CHRISTIANE DEMEULENAERE-DOUYRE, DAVID STURDY

Robert Boyle, well known in scientific circles, has still not received the credit he deserves in philosophy. A leader in experimental philosophy, his interests range from morality and philosophy of religion to epistemology and the philosophy of science. The Bloomsbury Companion to Robert Boyle brings together the latest work on the lesser known aspects of Boyle's philosophy, alongside some of his best known views, and surveys the full range of his philosophy for the first time. Situating Boyle within the philosophical and scientific traditions and introducing his zeal for experiment and commitment to the improvement of humanity, chapters reveal how crucial chemistry and alchemy are to his philosophy of science. They take up the metaphysical and ontological consequences of his philosophy and discuss his influence in the 17th and 18th centuries. Highlighting the importance of his moral theory and theological commitments for his philosophy of science, metaphysics and epistemology, chapters show how they motivate Boyle's philosophical positions and practices. For students or researchers looking to better understand Boyle's contribution to philosophy The Bloomsbury Companion to Robert Boyle is a comprehensive and invaluable guide. By taking into account the last thirty years of scholarship and pointing towards the next thirty years it presents the best of the current research on Boyle's philosophy and significance today.