Wahid, Fatra S.

BS Chemistry II

Philosophy 108

Philosophy of Chemistry
Chemistry provides important understanding of our world and how it works. It is an
extremely practical science that greatly impacts our daily lives. Indeed, chemistry lies near the
heart of many matters of public concern: improvement of healthcare; conservation of natural
resources; protection of the environment; and provision of our everyday needs for food, clothing
and shelter. In fact, it has become the largest scientific discipline in the 21st century. However, the
specialized interest in the conceptual issues arising in chemistry, hereafter Philosophy of
Chemistry, is a relatively recent addition to philosophy of science.
The philosophy of chemistry considers the methodology and underlying assumptions of
the science of chemistry. It has two major parts. The first part is where conceptual issues arising
within chemistry are carefully articulated and analyzed. While in the second part, traditional
topics in philosophy of science such as realism, reduction, explanation, confirmation, and
modeling are taken up within the context of chemistry.
Philosophers and scientists who contributed a lot to the history of the Philosophy of
Chemistry includes Jaap van Brakel, who wrote The Philosophy of Chemistry in 2000, Eric
Scerri, editor of the journal "Foundations of Chemistry" and author of Normative and
Descriptive Philosophy of Science and the Role of Chemistry in Philosophy of Chemistry, 2004,
Elias James Corey who developed the concept of "retrosynthesis", and K. C. Nicolaou, co-author
of Classics in Total Synthesis.
According to Aristotle, material things are composed of multiple substances. Although he
thought that some of them could be single, pure substance. Thus, he needed to give a criterion of
purity that would individuate pure substances. His criterion was that pure substances are
homoeomerous: they are composed of like parts at every level. He also held that the building
blocks of all substances were the elements fire, water, air and earth. He argued that it is
impossible for the same thing to be hot and cold, or wet/moist and dry. Thus, fire is hot and
dry, air is hot and wet; earth is cold and dry, and water is cold and wet. Chemistry focuses on
more than just the building blocks of substances, it attempts to account for the transformations
that change substances into other kinds of substances. He also contributed the first important
analyses of this process, distinguishing between transmutation and proper mixing. He is a
philosopher, and yet played an important role in the history and development of the Philosophy
of Science.