Fontenelle, l’Académie et le devenir scientifique de la chimie

Abstract

This paper considers Fontenelle’s point of view about the scientific evolution of chemistry in the Academy from the end of the 17th century to the first part of the 18th century. Against the traditional idea that Fontenelle was a Cartesian only concerned with mathematics and physics, his work as the Perpetual Secretary of the Royal Academy of Sciences demonstrates a real interest in chemistry and chemists. His work also sheds light on the diversity, the continuities and the evolutions of the various kinds of chemistry practiced in the Academy. The comparison of Fontenelle’s reviews and panegyrics with scientists’ memoirs shows an original historical and epistemological perspective, underlying the specificity of chemistry without separating it from other sciences – especially physics. Playing with several approaches, Fontenelle articulates rupture and continuity, the plurality of scientific practices and the unity of a common perspective. Thus, rather than a continuous story, he proposes a qualified vision of a complex and plural evolution of chemistry.

Keywords

• cartesianism
• chemistry
• epistemology
• history of science
• mecanism
• physics