Unlike most other studies, the study of alchemy did not challenge the Church’s view of the world and could, therefore, be practiced. For over 900 years, from about 500 to 1400, philosophers in Western Europe, surrounded by a cloak of secrecy, predominantly occupied themselves with the search for the mythical philosopher’s stone (the substance that could supposedly transform everyday material to gold and produce the elixir of immortality). During this Dark Age of European science, Arab philosophers cultivated an environment that encouraged the sharing of ideas, discussion and debate. The scientific framework they had developed – based on experiments to distinguish between competing scientific theories, citation, peer review and open inquiry – led to many invaluable breakthroughs in all areas of science: chemistry, physics, optics, astronomy and mathematics.
It was the fall of Constantinople (now Istanbul) that brought Arab science to the attention of the Western European philosophers. Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, had been a major intellectual center. Its conquest by the Turks in 1453 led to an exodus of scientists and philosophers to Western Europe. Owing to the recent invention of printing by Gutenberg around 1450, the scientific knowledge these scholars brought with them (including Arab science) became widely available. The seeds for a new worldview were planted, and science of the stars – the oldest of all natural sciences – was the natural place for them to germinate.
Prettyintelligentprincess
The Alchemist, Ben Johnson.... That's a much about alchemy as I know!