Alchemy and Tradition: Experiment is not 'Science.'
There was a rich and active tradition of "alchemy" for centuries from the time of the Islamic conquest of Egypt until the later Renaissance in Western Europe - a tradition which included many distringuished names, including the brightest name, Isaac Newton. The sum total of this striving was minimal. What accounts for the lack of progress, especially when contrasted with the explosive growth of knowledge and technique in the years from 1700 to 1900?
What were the alchemists trying to do, and why didnt they succeed?
