Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00738)

Yale University appreciates Occult Chemistry?

Well the writer summarizes his observations at 
that site as follows:

-------------------------------------------------------

>From beginning to end Occult Chemistry is a tale of deception and 
gullibility, so in most ways it is not particularly edifying. Still, 
it provides some worthwhile lessons.

Recognizing the prevalence in the late 19th century of ideas like 
Babbitt's and the Occult Chemists' makes one more sympathetic toward 
Hermann Kolbe and more understanding of his scathing and misguided 
criticism (1877) of structural organic chemistry in general and of 
young van't Hoff's ideas in particular.

More importantly, Occult Chemistry provides an object lesson in the 
necessity of treating surprising reports with healthy skepticism. 
Most scientists, like other humans, tend to assume the good faith, if 
not always the good sense, of those who report new phenomena. 
Students must be aware that reporters can be dishonest like 
Leadbeater, as well as misled or deceived by Nature, or their 
fellows, as were Crookes, Lodge, and perhaps Besant. While there may 
be parts of the human experience where there is no substitute for 
faith, understanding our physical world is not one of them. 
Repetition of experiment, formulation and testing of unambiguous 
predictions, and honest analysis of probabilities are better guides 
in scientific matters.

Annie Besant's career in chemistry certainly reinforces Pope's 
admonition that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." Fondness 
for the vocabulary and glitz of science without an understanding of 
its experimental basis is a recipe for disaster.

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Quoted from:

http://chem.yale.edu/~chem125/125/history99/8Occult/OccultAtoms.html


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Anand Gholap" <AnandGholap@A...> 
wrote:
> [ www.AnandGholap.net - Online Books on Theosophy ]
> Yale University appreciates Occult Chemistry. It can be read at
> 
http://www.chem.yale.edu/~chem125/125/history99/8Occult/OccultAtoms.ht
ml
> 
> If link is broken type at Google yale occult chemistry and you are 
there.
> Have a nice day.
> Anand Gholap
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]