What is alchemy about

[Reiska3]

I heard it was the predecessor to modern science. But i wonder what we got from alchemy that was helpful, and what alchemy worked like. I have seen big cauldron and that stuff, but not so sure how it works like.

Would love to hear your thoughts on it in general.

[yurgenburgen]

the supposed process of turning base metals into precious metals, as well as being able to create eternal youth potions and other such nonsense.

none of it actually works. alchemy's contributions to modern science start and end with the methods of experimentation used.

[ManDeep]

It's all about exploiting a loophole to make really overpowered armour and weapons while used in conjunction with enchanting.

[NGPulp]

It's about experimentation and stuff.

Apparently potions, metals, symbols and numerology play roles in this game of wizard dress-up.

[24901miles]

Alchemy was Europe's early attempt at understanding chemistry and medicine. It was a Physical subset of greater Philosophy, which was the early attempt at creating Science and streamlining goal-oriented higher thought.

People like to dismiss Alchemy as an example of how wrong our ancestors were about certain concepts. That is wrong. Working on the assumption that all things are made fromnthe same basic elements, the search to understand the proeprties of matter brought about revolutionary technologies for thousands of years.

Much of the growth from Alchemy to Chemistry is credited to Robert Boyle. He is the man whose name is given to the law of gasses which related Volume and Pressure.

[SansNumbers]

Alchemy is when you accidentally put your brother's soul into a suit of armor and your arm falls off.

[Sense-Offender]

fancy gloves and clapping your hands. It's all very technical.

[Reiska3]

At 7/14/14 02:07 PM, SansNumbers wrote: Alchemy is when you accidentally put your brother's soul into a suit of armor and your arm falls off.

oh yeah, FMA is kinda cool. I mostly like reading it though, its kinda the fictional type of alchemy

[AxTekk]

It was like our first attempt at logical empiricism. We used it to come up with a lot of very cool methods, which then ended up proving that most the assumptions in the theories behind alchemy were wrong.

Alchemy's greatest achievement was probably ripping itself apart and rebuilding itself as science.

[orangebomb]

At 7/14/14 02:42 PM, Reiska3 wrote: oh yeah, FMA is kinda cool. I mostly like reading it though, its kinda the fictional type of alchemy

The alchemy used in FMA were based on real life theories of alchemy, which is why there was so much accurate detail with things like transmutation circles and the like. Of course in that world, alchemy became a practical science all it's own (with some complications and rules that are explained in-story) compared to real life which was largely discredited centuries ago.

Come to think of it, I always wonder what life would be like if we had that kind of alchemy in FMA in our world, with all of the complications and rules that go with it.

[Sense-Offender]

At 7/14/14 02:42 PM, Reiska3 wrote:

At 7/14/14 02:07 PM, SansNumbers wrote: Alchemy is when you accidentally put your brother's soul into a suit of armor and your arm falls off.

oh yeah, FMA is kinda cool. I mostly like reading it though, its kinda the fictional type of alchemy

Do the AMV Hell people still make videos? They should do a montage of Ed clapping his hands and have it sync up with the clapping rythym of Make it Clap by Busta Rhymes.

[jhypsyshah]

At 7/14/14 02:05 PM, 24901miles wrote: Alchemy was Europe's early attempt at understanding chemistry and medicine. It was a Physical subset of greater Philosophy, which was the early attempt at creating Science and streamlining goal-oriented higher thought.

People like to dismiss Alchemy as an example of how wrong our ancestors were about certain concepts. That is wrong.

Yeah, I always kinda got that impression. I imagine any traditional techniques for refining, brewing and such didn't magically change whenever they started calling it chemistry. I would suspect it allowed alot of people doing 'research and development' for their own school to steal formulas from other 'undeveloped cultures' and refine them so they could pat themselves on the back for their 'discoveries'..

I may be kinda cynical, tho'..

[Painbringer]

At 7/14/14 09:54 AM, yurgenburgen wrote: turning base metals into precious metals

none of it actually works.

A 20th century Japanese scientist has actually done it with a nuclear reactor.

[24901miles]

At 7/14/14 06:37 PM, Painbringer wrote:

At 7/14/14 09:54 AM, yurgenburgen wrote: turning base metals into precious metals
none of it actually works.

A 20th century Japanese scientist has actually done it with a nuclear reactor.

Glenn Seaborg and his apprentices went much further with it. Sure, Gold was a fascinating precious metal, but not nearly so interesting when compared with the truths which could be uncovered by submolecular science. Seaborg's lab built dozens of elements by nuclear transition, passing through Platinum, Gold, and Mercury like they were street signs on the highway to glory. They even creating new isotopes and atoms which have never been encountered in nature.

Way cooler than Gold.

[PyroGreg]

At 7/14/14 10:05 AM, ManDeep wrote: It's all about exploiting a loophole to make really overpowered armour and weapons while used in conjunction with enchanting.

Gotta make them potions of enchanting, then enchant all my armour with alchemy boosts and continue the process

[Dr-Worm]

It's mostly about drawing circles and getting mad when people call you short.

[Dr-Worm]

At 7/14/14 06:00 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: Do the AMV Hell people still make videos? They should do a montage of Ed clapping his hands and have it sync up with the clapping rythym of Make it Clap by Busta Rhymes.

I don't know about that, but at least we'll always have Tina Belcher and Master P.

[Reiska3]

At 7/15/14 12:56 AM, Dr-Worm wrote:

At 7/14/14 06:00 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: Do the AMV Hell people still make videos? They should do a montage of Ed clapping his hands and have it sync up with the clapping rythym of Make it Clap by Busta Rhymes.

I don't know about that, but at least we'll always have Tina Belcher and Master P.

I quick searched the least emo amv i found, positive cheery attitude :)
http://youtu.be/2Q6U6ddf0U4

[Phobotech]

Alchemy is about makin' somethin' outta nothin'.