History “new history of alchemy,” practiced by Lawrence Principe

Some historians have not responded favorably to the “new history of alchemy,” practiced by Lawrence Principe, William Newman, and others. Brian Vickers, for example, has described them as “apologists” for alchemy, meaning that they are supposedly motivated by a desire to defend the reputation of early modern alchemists, which clouds their objectivity. According to Vickers, for example, Principe and Newman are wrong to view George Starkey as a forerunner of modern experimental chemistry; the mystical and symbolic aspects of Starkey’s writing instead indicate that his career should be understood as a “quest for revelation, to be achieved after enormous labour and dedication … only by the grace of God.” (Vickers, “The ‘New Historiography’ and the Limits of Alchemy,” Annals of Science 65:1 (2008) , 136) In chapter six of Secrets of Alchemy, Principe claims to have proven that some alchemists, such as Basil Valentine and George Starkey, were masters of chemical experimentation, achieving remarkable practical results, even as they sought the legendary Philosophers’ Stone, and that some alchemical texts, which appear to be symbolic fantasies, in fact encode genuine, replicable chemical procedures. With what evidence does Principe attempt to prove these claims? Is he convincing? Respond to these questions by writing a short dialogue between a defender of the new history of alchemy (call him Larry, if you like) and a skeptic (perhaps his name is Brian). Begin with the defender making a claim about the practical chemical expertise of early modern chymists. Then, have the critic present a counter-argument. Then, have the defender try to refute the critic by backing up his or her claim with evidence. (If you prefer to take the side of the critic, you may give him or her the last word.) Use one or two specific examples as evidence in support of your answer. You can format the dialogue like a play (example ) or like a short story (so long as it consists primarily of dialogue). Use at least one quotation from Principe. You may also quote from Philalethes, if you wish. Provide citations for all quotations in parentheses or footnotes; these should be consist of the last name of the author and the page number, for example: “Principe, 127.” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00033790701245497 example link: https://books.google.com/books?id=iCekBgAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&dq=brecht%20galileo&pg=PT23#v=onepage&q&f=false *I will provide the additional materials tomorrow by taking pictures. *No specific format required, just two-page assignment.