Views on Fundamental Substances in the Encyclopedias in 18th Century France:A Comparison with England
The 18th century was called the Encyclopedic Century.The five concepts of"partie","particule","atome","element"and"principe"in the various French encyclopedias respectively belonged to the two major chemical traditions of elementalism and atomism,reflecting the understanding and attitudes of the French intelligentsia towards the views on fundamental substances in chemistry at the time,which was distinct from the British ones.In France,the elementalist view of fundamental substances,deeply rooted in the practice of chemistry,was in the process of the transformation from an old doctrine to a new one,from natural philosophy to chemistry,while the atomist view was regarded as a metaphysical and ancient doctrine that did not dominate the mainstream of chemical thought.
encyclopediaFrench chemistry in 18th centuryelementalismatomism
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