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Philosophy vs Alchemy - What's the difference?

philosophy | alchemy |

In uncountable terms the difference between philosophy and alchemy

is that philosophy is an academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism while alchemy is the ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.

In countable terms the difference between philosophy and alchemy

is that philosophy is a general principle (usually moral) while alchemy is the causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.

As nouns the difference between philosophy and alchemy

is that philosophy is the love of wisdom while alchemy is the ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.

As a verb philosophy

is to philosophize.

philosophy

Alternative forms

* philosophie (obsolete) * phylosophie (obsolete) * phylosophy (nonstandard)

Noun

  • (uncountable, originally) The love of wisdom.
  • (uncountable) An academic discipline that seeks truth through reasoning rather than empiricism.
  • * 1661 , , The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond
  • During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy , he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant
  • (countable) A comprehensive system of belief.
  • (countable) A view or outlook regarding fundamental principles underlying some domain.
  • (countable) A general principle (usually moral).
  • (archaic) A broader branch of (non-applied) science.
  • Meronyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * analytic philosophy * antiphilosophy * continental philosophy * personal philosophy * philosophize * philosophy of mind

    Verb

  • To philosophize.
  • *, II.12:
  • Plato hath (in my seeming) loved this manner of Philosophying , Dialogue wise in good earnest, that therby he might more decently place in sundry mouthes the diversity and variation of his owne conceits.

    See also

    * * ideology

    alchemy

    Noun

  • (label) The ancient search for a universal panacea, and of the philosopher's stone, that eventually developed into chemistry.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2014-06-21, volume=411, issue=8892, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Magician’s brain , passage=The [Isaac] Newton that emerges from the [unpublished] manuscripts is far from the popular image of a rational practitioner of cold and pure reason. The architect of modern science was himself not very modern. He was obsessed with alchemy .}}
  • (label) The causing of any sort of mysterious sudden transmutation.
  • Any elaborate transformation process or algorithm.
  • Derived terms

    * alchemical * alchemise and alchemize * alchemist * alchemistic * alchemistical

    See also

    * elixir of life * philosophers' stone

    References

    * *