Theos-Talk Archives (January 2005 Message tt00775)

Daniel, I received just communication from a 
German Professor of Chemistry, who researches 
since years on "Occult Chemistry" and who holds 
lectures about it.
He wrote in conclusion that "Occult Chemistry" 
must not be considered as serious and all what 
they have published was not new, so we need no 
"clairvoyant" option to explain it.
All what they wrote on atoms was available in 
printed sources.
As a result of his findings he (and also other 
scientists) consider the whole Theosophy including 
HPB as fraud.

During her first world crusade Katherine Tingley 
made distinct warnings against these 
"investigations" as this would be the wrong 
direction and dangerous for mankind. I can't find 
the source since a longer time, but if memory 
serves me right, it is in one of her magazines 
around 1896. Perhaps can any other on this list 
who has it, present here the accurate quote.

As the atom research was leading to Einstein's 
atom bomb and Hiroshima and Nagasarki it seems 
that KT's warnings were not out of reason. She 
instead opted for Kindergartens!
Frank


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Daniel H. Caldwell" 
<danielhcaldwell@yahoo.com>
To: <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2005 4:52 PM
Subject: Theos-World Re: Yale University 
appreciates Occult Chemistry




Yale University appreciates Occult Chemistry?

Well the writer summarizes his observations at
that site as follows:

-------------------------------------------------------

>>From beginning to end Occult Chemistry is a tale 
>of deception and
gullibility, so in most ways it is not 
particularly edifying. Still,
it provides some worthwhile lessons.

Recognizing the prevalence in the late 19th 
century of ideas like
Babbitt's and the Occult Chemists' makes one more 
sympathetic toward
Hermann Kolbe and more understanding of his 
scathing and misguided
criticism (1877) of structural organic chemistry 
in general and of
young van't Hoff's ideas in particular.

More importantly, Occult Chemistry provides an 
object lesson in the
necessity of treating surprising reports with 
healthy skepticism.
Most scientists, like other humans, tend to assume 
the good faith, if
not always the good sense, of those who report new 
phenomena.
Students must be aware that reporters can be 
dishonest like
Leadbeater, as well as misled or deceived by 
Nature, or their
fellows, as were Crookes, Lodge, and perhaps 
Besant. While there may
be parts of the human experience where there is no 
substitute for
faith, understanding our physical world is not one 
of them.
Repetition of experiment, formulation and testing 
of unambiguous
predictions, and honest analysis of probabilities 
are better guides
in scientific matters.

Annie Besant's career in chemistry certainly 
reinforces Pope's
admonition that "a little learning is a dangerous 
thing." Fondness
for the vocabulary and glitz of science without an 
understanding of
its experimental basis is a recipe for disaster.

----------------------------------------------------------
Quoted from:

http://chem.yale.edu/~chem125/125/history99/8Occult/OccultAtoms.html


--- In theos-talk@yahoogroups.com, "Anand Gholap" 
<AnandGholap@A...>
wrote:
> [ www.AnandGholap.net - Online Books on 
> Theosophy ]
> Yale University appreciates Occult Chemistry. It 
> can be read at
>
http://www.chem.yale.edu/~chem125/125/history99/8Occult/OccultAtoms.ht
ml
>
> If link is broken type at Google yale occult 
> chemistry and you are
there.
> Have a nice day.
> Anand Gholap
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been 
> removed]






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