ROBERT BOYLE: BIOGRAPHY AND CONTRIBUTIONS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691) was an Irish natural philosopher and theological writer who had an outstanding performance, especially in the area of ​​natural chemistry, science and natural sciences. Despite this, his scientific work covered different areas such as physics, hydrostatics, medicine, earth sciences and natural history.

In addition, he was a prominent seventeenth-century writer of theology, work with which he developed various essays and treatises on the language of the Bible, reason, and the role that a natural philosopher played as a Christian.

See page for author, via Wikimedia Commons

Some of his treatises expressed the point of view of Boyle, who claimed that religion and science were mutually supportive and that the world worked like a machine.

His interest in religion led him to sponsor various missions and his work as a scientist prompted him to contribute to the founding of the Royal Society, better known as the Royal Society of London. The theory is that the glorification of God was part of Boyle's life.

Biography

Early years

Robert Boyle was born on January 25, 1627 in County Waterford, Ireland. He was one of the youngest children of a large family with significant socioeconomic power.

His father, Richard Boyle, was Earl of Cork (an Irish city) and his mother was Catherine Fenton, of whom it is theorized that she became Countess of Cork.

It is believed that when his family arrived in Ireland in 1588, the country where Robert Boyle was born, his father was in possession of a significant amount of capital materialized in property and money. Even so, it is presumed that Robert Boyle was raised by a local family.

After the death of his mother, Boyle was sent at the age of eight to King's College of Our Lady of Eton, where he proved to be a good student. In 1639, he and one of his brothers set out on a journey across the continent with Boyle's tutor.

The possibility is handled that during his educational process, he learned to speak French, Latin and Greek.

Adolescence

Years later, Boyle traveled to Florence, Italy, where he studied the analyzes made by Galileo Galilei, a renowned Italian natural philosopher. Some estimate that these studies could have been carried out when the natural philosopher was 15 years old, in 1641.

After the death of his father, Boyle returned to England in 1644, where he inherited a residence in Stalbridge, a town located in the county of Dorset. There he began a literary career that allowed him to write some treatises.

Royal Society of London

After returning to England that same year (1644), Boyle became a member of the Invisible College. Some have the hypothesis that this organization gave way to the Society of Royalty, better known as the Royal Society of London.

Today, the Royal Society of London is regarded as one of the oldest scientific societies in the world, as well as the leading organization for promoting scientific research in Great Britain.

Others hold the theory that the Royal Society had its origin years later when approximately 12 men came together to establish an organization that promoted the learning of physics and mathematics through experimentation.

college

Boyle began to feel great interest in subjects related to science, so from 1649 he began to carry out experiments to start a series of investigations of nature.

Such practices interested Boyle to such an extent that he managed to maintain contact with natural philosophers and social reformers of the time until the mid-1650s.

In 1654, at approximately 27 years of age, Boyle went to the university town of Oxford, England. There he settled two years later at the University of Oxford for a long time.

The university served him to associate with several medical and natural philosophers with whom he formed the Experimental Philosophy Club. Some point out that most of Boyle's major work was done during his tenure at the institution.

Air pump

In 1659, the natural philosopher, together with Robert Hooke, designed the Boylean machine: an air pump whose construction was allegedly inspired by the readings on the same machine by the German physicist and jurist Otto von Guericke.

The machine allowed him to start a series of experiments on the properties of air. The discoveries made by the apparatus on air pressure and vacuum appeared in Boyle's first scientific publication.

New physico-mechanical experiments, on the elasticity of air and its effects, was the title of his first work published a year later, in 1660.

Boyle and Hooke discovered several physical characteristics of air, among which were combustion, respiration and the transmission of sound. Furthermore, in 1662 Boyle made the discovery of "Boyle's Law", as it was called years later.

This law explained the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a gas, for which it was determined thanks to the measurement of the volume occupied by a quantity of compressed air with different weights of mercury.

Some have the theory that the person who made the discovery was a man named Henry Power; an English experimenter who made the discovery a year before Boyle, in 1661.

Last years

Six years after the discovery of the air pump, Boyle left Oxford to move in with one of his sisters who lived in London: Katherine Jones. Once there she created a laboratory and dedicated herself to publishing approximately one book per year.

Despite being in London, Boyle did not separate from the Royal Society. His performance made him worthy of being the candidate for the presidency of said organization, however he rejected it.

In 1689, at approximately 62 years of age, Robert Boyle began to show deterioration in his health. He had weak eyes and hands, as well as recurrent illnesses; some presume that he suffered at least one cardiovascular accident (stroke).

His situation led him away from the Royal Society of London. In December 1691, at the age of 64, the renowned natural philosopher died after suffering from paralysis.

It is presumed that he left the papers of the Royal Society of London and a legacy that would allow the realization of a series of conferences to defend Christianity, known today as Boyle Lectures.

Contributions

Scientific work

Boyle's works were based on experimentation and observation, because the natural philosopher did not agree with generalized theories. He considered the universe as a machine where all the natural phenomena that occurred in it were motivated by mechanical movement.

It is presumed that he came to list possible inventions, among which were the prolongation of life, the art of flying, the manufacture of powerful but light armor, a boat that could not sink and the theory of eternal light.

Among the most important works of Robert Boyle were The Skeptic Chemist, published in 1661. The writing addressed the notions of Aristotle and those of the Paracelsian movement, a German medical movement.

The skeptical chemist

It was one of the most famous books that Robert Bolye wrote in relation to science. The Skeptic Chemist, or The Chemo-Physical Doubts and Paradoxes, was published in England in 1661.

In this work, the natural philosopher stated that matter was made up of moving atoms and that each phenomenon occurred due to the collision between them. In addition, he sought to incentivize chemists to experiment with chemical elements.

He was convinced that each of the theories that were raised should be supported thanks to experimentation to determine their veracity. Some consider that this work caused that Robert Boyle was considered like the father of modern chemistry.

Boyle's Law

This law stated that the pressure of gases is inversely proportional to the volume they occupy in the event that the temperature remains constant within a closed system.

Some explain that the theory stated that the relationship between pressure and volume is a constant for an ideal gas. It is considered another of Boyle's great contributions to science.

Other of Boyle's scientific works were: New physical-mechanical experiments: touching the air spring and its effects of the year 1660 and Considerations on the utility of experimental natural philosophy of 1663.

In addition to that, he wrote other works such as Experiments and considerations that touch colors, with observations on a diamond that glows in the dark (1664) and Hydrostatic Paradoxes (1666).

In addition, he made the works Origin of forms and qualities according to corpuscular philosophy in 1666, The Origin and virtues of gems of 1672 and Essays of the strange subtlety, great efficacy, determined nature of the effluvia in 1673.

Finally, the work Treatises on the salinity of the sea from 1674 was part of his work. In addition, he made experiments on electricity, magnetism, mechanics, cold, air and their effects.

Memoirs for the natural history of human blood

Some point out that this work dates from 1684, and that in it the natural philosopher grouped the experiments that he had carried out in order to develop the investigation of human blood. Others point to it as a precursor work in physiological chemistry.

Theological work

Besides dedicating himself to science, Boyle had a great interest in theological subjects. For this reason he was the author of numerous treatises that addressed this area and supported educational and missionary activities.

The writings of his youth were characterized by an inclination to this area; However, years later, the relationship between science and religion of the time took place between his works, with which he tried to link both areas.

For this reason, the study of nature as a product of God's creation also became a fundamental part of his philosophy, a belief that he embodied in The Virtuous Christian, published in 1690.

For Boyle, natural philosophy was capable of providing the necessary evidence to prove the existence of God, which is why he came to criticize contemporary philosophers who denied studies that could support the existence of a greater entity.

It is also suspected that, supported by the same religious belief, he contributed to different studies of the race due to his belief that all human beings, regardless of skin color, hair or nationality, came from the same couple: Adam and Eva.

The virtuous Christian

The Virtuous Christian was one of the last writings that Boyle made, which was published in 1690. Some consider that the book contains part of the religious thought of the writer, where he included his theory that the world worked like a machine.

Some indicate that part of his works related to his affinity with religion were Seraphic Love, published in 1660; Essay on the style of the Sacred Scriptures (1663), the Excellence of theology compared with natural philosophy (1664) and The martyrdom of Theodora and Didimo (1687).

Regarding the support he gave to the spread of Christianity, the theory is that Boyle came to contribute generously to some missionary organizations and that he collaborated with the costs of the translation of the Bible.

In addition, they add that the natural philosopher defended the idea that said sacred book should be written in the corresponding language of each country.

References

1. Robert Boyle, editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, (nd). Taken from britannica.com
2. The Sceptical Chymist, Wikipedia in English, (nd). Taken from wikipedia.org
3. Robert Boyle: Father of Modern Chemistry, Diane Severance, Portal Christianity.com, (2010). Taken from christianity.com
4. Robert Boyle, Portal Famous Scientists, (nd). Taken from famousscientists.org
5. Robert Boyle (1627-1691), BBC Portal, (nd). Taken from bbc.co.uk
6. Robert Boyle, Portal Science History Institute, (2017). Taken from sciencehistory.org