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+--- Thread: Alchemy & Mathematics in Geber's Theory of Balances (/showthread.php?tid=2874)
Alchemy & Mathematics in Geber's Theory of Balances - Paul Ferguson - 12-27-2025
In French.
This study analyzes the principal features of alchemical theory in general, with a particular focus on Jābir Ibn Ḥayyān’s contributions. It explores the Aristotelian,
Stoic, and Neoplatonic foundations of his thought, culminating in the so-called “Theory of Balances”—a framework that seeks to reduce all natural phenomena
and scientific knowledge, including cosmology, physics, and alchemy, to laws of quantity and measurement. In the Middle Ages, this theory served as a foundation
for establishing a quantitative system of natural science. Jābir translated the four degrees of intensity of the elementary qualities—borrowed from Greek medicine—
into characteristic numerical series. This study examines the connections between these speculations and Plato’s Timaeus, as well as Pythagorean arithmology, with
particular attention to the reucurring significance of the number 17 in Geber's thought.
https://jop.ut.ac.ir/article_105121_3cbf78f4dfb0c66b5775ab404406f681.pdf