Metachemistry

Ruthenberg highlights the unique aspects of chemistry, specifically its metachemical fundamentals, which have been largely overlooked in current philosophies of science. Conventional metaphysics, derived from or focused on theoretical physics, is inadequate when applied to chemistry. The author examines and integrates historical and philosophical perspectives on important aspects of chemistry, including affinity, compositionism, emergence, synthesis/analysis, atomism/non-atomism, chemical ...