Ideas from 'The Principles of Chemistry' by Dmitri Mendeleev [1870], by Theme Structure
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27. Natural Reality / B. Modern Physics / 4. Standard Model / a. Concept of matter
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17402
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Mendeleev saw three principles in nature: matter, force and spirit (where the latter seems to be essence)
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Full Idea:
Mendeleev rejected one unifying principles in favour of three basic components of nature: matter (substance), force (energy), and spirit (soul). 'Spirit' is said to be what we now mean by essentialism - what is irreducibly peculiar to the object.
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From:
report of Dmitri Mendeleev (The Principles of Chemistry [1870]) by Eric R. Scerri - The Periodic Table 04 'Making'
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27. Natural Reality / F. Chemistry / 2. Modern Elements
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17399
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Elements don't survive in compounds, but the 'substance' of the element does
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Full Idea:
Neither mercury as a metal nor oxygen as a gas is contained in mercury oxide; it only contains the substance of the elements, just as steam only contains the substance of ice.
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From:
Dmitri Mendeleev (The Principles of Chemistry [1870], I:23), quoted by Eric R. Scerri - The Periodic Table 04 'Nature'
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A reaction:
[1889 edn] Scerri glosses the word 'substance' as meaning essence.
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27. Natural Reality / F. Chemistry / 3. Periodic Table
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17401
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Mendeleev had a view of elements which allowed him to overlook some conflicting observations
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Full Idea:
His view of elements allowed Mendeleev to maintain the validity of the periodic table even in instances where observational evidence seemed to point against it.
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From:
Dmitri Mendeleev (The Principles of Chemistry [1870]), quoted by Eric R. Scerri - The Periodic Table 04 'Making'
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A reaction:
Mendeleev seems to have focused on abstract essences of elements, rather than on the simplest substances they had so far managed to isolate.
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17400
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Mendeleev focused on abstract elements, not simple substances, so he got to their essence
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Full Idea:
Because he was attempting to classify abstract elements, not simple substances, Mendeleev was not misled by nonessential chemical properties.
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From:
report of Dmitri Mendeleev (The Principles of Chemistry [1870]) by Eric R. Scerri - The Periodic Table 04 'Making'
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A reaction:
I'm not fully clear about this, but I take it that Mendeleev stood back from the messy observations, and tried to see the underlying simpler principles. 'Simple substances' were ones that had not so far been decomposed.
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