This study introduces a new framework for understanding medieval science by recognizing alchemy as a central mode of rational inquiry. Through the integration of theoretical reflection and material practice, alchemy shaped a vision of nature governed by intelligible processes and oriented toward perfection. The contribution of this work lies in its demonstration that medieval alchemical knowledge operated through experimental attention. Rather than isolating observation from metaphysical purpose, it forged a unified method where transformation became the pathway to understanding. By highlighting this coherence, the study redefines the historical foundations of chemistry and restores to alchemy its formative role in shaping scientific imagination.
Giuseppe Gimigliano (2025) studied this question.