Modern-Day Alchemy: a Science Beyond Science
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71294/ers.2021.05Keywords:
alchemy, history of alchemy, hyperchemistry, contemporary esoteric movementsAbstract
Abstract. The article deals with Western alchemy as a sociocultural phenomenon, its relationship to modern science, and the way of its existence in the contemporary world. The author provides an overview of several contemporary approaches to so-called “neo-alchemy”, distinguishing the following currents on the basis of emic self-description: alchemy blended with elements of science, hyperchemistry, and traditional alchemy. After describing these trends, the paper examines how alchemy remains an impactful element in culture even outside of those adherents who take it literally, discussing its role in contemporary philosophy and touching upon its discourses being reproduced through processes of museification. The author concludes that the phenomenon of alchemy in the modern world acquires the features of an underground subculture occupying its own niche in the sociocultural space.
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