A Commentary on The Sceptical Chymist of Robert Boyle

The purpose of this project is to elucidate Robert Boyle’s The Sceptical Chymist to the contemporary reader – in particular one with a knowledge either of philosophy or of chemistry. The body of the work divides naturally into three distinct sections: Literature Review in which some twenty articles treating of the work in question are reviewed. The intention here is to offer varying opinions and analyses of the book, so that the reader might have a broader perspective on it, followed by the Prelude to Commentary in which is described the broader context within which The Sceptical Chymist is located; The Commentary proper in which Boyle’s text is narrated to the reader, with both the philosophical and scientific content of the work explained, information on obsolete or unusual words, translations as appropriate, and biographical details on many of those mentioned in the work supplied; The Discussion and Conclusion identifies some of the most important themes running through Boyle’s book and elaborates on these, the aim being to offer the reader a more detailed exposition of some of the notions which preoccupied or influenced Boyle.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

phd

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Loonan, Conleth Patrick

Language dc:language

en