Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691) was an English natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor, known for his valuable contributions in diverse fields such as chemistry, physics, and scientific experimentation. His legacy transcends the boundaries of a specific discipline, as his brilliance and dedication laid the groundwork for the advancement of modern chemistry while also influencing the evolution of experimental psychology.
Life and Work of Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was born on January 25th, 1627, in Lismore Castle, County Waterford, Ireland (Principe, 2023). His birth was a significant event, as he came from one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Great Britain (Sánchez, 2021). According to Principe (2023), he was the fourteenth child and seventh son of Richard Boyle, the first Earl of Cork, and his second wife, Catherine Fenton, daughter of Sir Geoffrey Fenton, the Secretary of State for Ireland.
At the age of eight, he began his formal education at Eton College, where his studious nature quickly became evident (Principe, 2023). In 1639, he and his brother Francis embarked on a continental tour with their tutor Isaac Marcombes. However, as mentioned by Principe (2023), their foreign adventure was interrupted in 1642 due to the Irish Rebellion, at which point Francis decided to return home, leaving Robert in Geneva with his tutor.
He returned to England in 1644, where he settled on his hereditary estate in Stalbridge, Dorset (Principe, 2023). He began a notable career as a writer, expressing his ethical and devotional vision in a series of treatises that resonated with the audiences of the time. According to Principe (2023), his literary works, some of which drew inspiration from stylistic and rhetorical models in French literature, particularly romantic writings, captivated his readers and left a lasting mark on literary history.
After a series of back-and-forths between Ireland and England, he made the decision to settle on one of his estates in 1652 (Sánchez, 2021). However, his stay proved to be brief, lasting only two years. In 1654, he chose to return to England, as he believed that Ireland did not provide the optimal conditions to continue his scientific research. According to Sánchez (2021), Boyle considered that at that time, the necessary facilities to acquire new chemical instruments did not exist in Ireland, and furthermore, the local population lacked sufficient knowledge to understand and appreciate his research and advancements in the scientific field.
In 1659, he and Robert Hooke, the ingenious inventor and later curator of experiments for the Royal Society, completed the construction of their famous air pump and used it to study pneumatics (Principe, 2023). Their resulting discoveries about air pressure and vacuum were published in Boyle's first scientific publication, "New Experiments Physico-Mechanical, Touching the Spring of the Air and Its Effects" (1660). As per Principe (2023), Boyle and Hooke uncovered various physical characteristics of air, including its role in combustion, respiration, and sound transmission.
In 1661, he presented his second work titled "The Sceptical Chymist," a monumental milestone that marked a turning point in establishing chemistry as a science (Sánchez, 2021). The content of this work was not only relevant but also widely noted for the audacity with which Boyle challenged prevailing theories of the time. He engaged in a rigorous and well-founded critique of Aristotle's theory of the four elements, which proposed that water, earth, fire, and air were the basic components that combined to form matter. Instead, according to Sánchez (2021), Boyle argued that matter was composed of fundamental particles.
In 1662, he made a revolutionary discovery that would later be known as Boyle's law (Principe, 2023). This law, which has become a cornerstone of the physics of gases, establishes an inverse relationship between the pressure and volume of a gas. The experiment involved measuring the volume occupied by a fixed amount of air when compressed with varying loads of mercury. As the pressure increased by exerting greater force on the mercury, a proportional decrease in the volume of the gas was observed. Conversely, as Principe (2023) explains, reducing the pressure by decreasing the mercury load caused the gas volume to expand accordingly.
In 1663, the group of philosophers transformed into what we now recognize as the prestigious Royal Society of London (Sánchez, 2021). This institution is considered the oldest scientific society in the United Kingdom and one of the longest-standing in all of Europe. According to Sánchez (2021), it was the King of England, Charles II, who bestowed upon Boyle the distinction of being a member of the Royal Society's council in recognition of his notable contributions to the scientific field.
In 1668, he made the decision to leave Oxford and settle in London, where he found refuge in the home of his sister Katherine Jones, located on Pall Mall (Principe, 2023). There, he set up a laboratory, hired assistants, received visitors, and dedicated himself to publishing books related to his research. It was in this environment that he found an opportunity to engage with the Royal Society. According to Principe (2023), in 1680, he was offered the presidency of the Royal Society as well as the bishopric, both of which he declined.
Starting from 1689, his health began to weaken and become more fragile, leading him to gradually withdraw from public life and reduce his involvement with the Royal Society (Sánchez, 2021). This gradual retreat allowed him to focus on the legacy he wanted to leave as a scientist, planning and developing chemical research that could be continued by his followers and contribute to the advancement of science. Despite his efforts to take care of his health, it did not improve, and ultimately, on December 31st, 1691, he passed away due to paralysis. As stated by Sánchez (2021), his legacy resides in the memory of the scientific community, as well as in the graveyard of the Anglican church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, where his remains rest.
Theory of Knowledge
Robert Boyle distinguished himself through his empiricist approach and his tireless pursuit of knowledge based on observation and experimentation (Silva & Martín, 2016). Boyle's empiricist perspective, which advocated that knowledge is obtained through direct experience, had a significant impact on the understanding of human beings and their relationship with the surrounding world. According to his propositions, meticulous observation and rigorous experimentation are the pillars for constructing solid and reliable knowledge. Silva & Martín (2016) mention that by emphasizing objectivity as a fundamental element in the knowledge acquisition process, Boyle laid the groundwork for the development of psychology and other scientific disciplines.
His Focus on Experimental Psychology
His legacy in the field of experimental psychology is highly relevant and has left a profound mark on the understanding of the human mind and behavior (Sánchez, 2021). In accordance with Sánchez (2021), his scientific and experimental approach laid the foundation for the systematic study of these phenomena, thus allowing significant advances in the comprehension of how different aspects of psychology function and interrelate.
One of his contributions was the application of experimentation as a research method (Ceroni, 2011). Through experiments, he investigated and analyzed mental processes with greater precision and rigor (Ceroni, 2011). These experiments proved fundamental in unveiling the mysteries of perception, memory, and other crucial aspects of psychology (Sánchez, 2021). Regarding visual perception, he demonstrated that the perception of depth is based on the convergence of the eyes (Ceroni, 2011). According to Ceroni (2011), this discovery was a milestone in understanding how the visual system interprets and processes environmental information, providing a three-dimensional view of the world.
Likewise, his experiments in the realm of memory were also relevant and contributed valuable insights to this area of study (Ceroni, 2011). Through his research, he empirically demonstrated that repetition is an effective technique for enhancing information retention in memory. Corresponding with Ceroni (2011), this finding has significant implications in the educational field and in the optimization of learning strategies, as it shows that repetition can be a powerful tool for promoting the storage and retrieval of knowledge.
On the Mind and the Soul
In addition to his significant scientific contributions, he also delved into the fascinating study of the human mind and its intricate relationship with the body. Regarding his perspective on the mind and the soul, he firmly held that these were distinct and separate entities (Dimitrov, 2014). According to his view, the mind was an immaterial entity residing in the brain, capable of thinking and reasoning, while the soul, as Dimitrov (2014) states, was an immortal entity dwelling within the body and was considered responsible for life and consciousness.
However, he didn't settle for merely proposing these ideas; he also believed that both the mind and the soul were subjects of study within the scientific domain (Dimitrov, 2014). Dimitrov (2014) mentions that for Boyle, these entities could be explored and understood through methods based on observation and rigorous experimentation. With an unwavering scientific mind, he was convinced that both chemistry and physics provided the necessary tools to delve into the essential nature of the mind and the soul, thus enabling a better understanding of their functioning and intricate interactions.
References
Ceroni G., M. (2011). Rememorando a Robert Boyle: En el Año Internacional de la Química - 2011. Revista de la Sociedad Química del Perú, 77(1), 7–10. http://www.scielo.org.pe/scielo.php?pid=S1810-634X2011000100001&script=sci_arttext
Dimitrov, T. (2014). La Dimensión Espiritual de Grandes Científicos. Universidad Iberoamericana. https://ibero.mx/web/filesd/publicaciones/la_dimension_espiritual.pdf
Principe, L. M. (2023). Robert Boyle. En Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Boyle
Sánchez, E. (2021, noviembre 27). Robert Boyle: Biografía y Aportes de Este Investigador. Psicología y Mente. https://psicologiaymente.com/biografias/robert-boyle
Silva, C., & Martín, L. T. (2016, febrero 24). Robert Boyle y John Locke: Mecanismo, Percepción y Teoría de las Ideas. Redalyc.org. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/414/41449296006/html/
