this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2024

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Series - Is alchemy bullshit? (lemmy.world)

submitted 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I want to understand it but everything I read about it oscillates impossibly between vulgar metals -> gold and some kind of spiritual transformation metaphysical stuff

What is it and what can be legit gleaned from it in an empirical or useful sense?

Does it have utility outside of use as a metaphor or allegory or whatever?

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[–] [email protected] -5 points 4 months ago (43 children)

I breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. So no, alchemy is real. Just not with metals, unless you're talking about eating a bar of gold and having it turn into a substance called shit, though you'll be in the bathroom for a long, long time.

If it could be done with metals, we would've seen a lot more hyperinflation in history, and alchemists were typically people appointed by monarchs who planned to farm that wealth for themselves, which reflects their thirst for pizzazz more than anything actually fascinating.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (4 children)

I've heard its chemicaly/"physicsly" possible but involves messy particle smashing and other largely expensive/messy/theoretical processes that aren't worth the squeeze as of yet

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Anything of merit in terms of materials that was discovered by alchemy has long since been subsumed by chemistry. Study chemistry, the truth is way more interesting and weird.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 4 months ago

What is it

Mostly fairytale magic.

what can be legit gleaned from it in an empirical or useful sense?

Don't bother.

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