Lawrence M. Principe
· Drew Professor of the HumanitiesJohns Hopkins University · History of Science and Technology
Active 1981–2026
About
Lawrence M. Principe is the Drew Professor of the Humanities at Johns Hopkins University, specializing in the history of science and technology, with a particular focus on early modern and late medieval science and technology. His research interests include the history of alchemy and chemistry, especially during the period from 1200 to 1750, and the intersections of science with theology and religion. Principe has conducted extensive studies on the intellectual, institutional, and social developments in chemistry at the Parisian Académie Royale des Sciences between 1666 and 1730, which culminated in his book, The Transmutations of Chymistry: Wilhelm Homberg and the Académie Royale des Sciences (2020). His current projects involve producing critical editions and English translations of the alchemical works of John of Rupescissa, a fourteenth-century Franciscan friar and prophet. Principe teaches courses on Ancient & Medieval Science, the Scientific Revolution, and Science and Religion, and also teaches Organic Chemistry in the Chemistry department. His research aims to contextualize alchemy within its intellectual, social, philosophical, technological, religious, and experimental frameworks, emphasizing its influence on the history of science and European culture. He employs both traditional textual analysis and archival research, as well as laboratory replication of alchemical processes, to better understand the practical and theoretical aspects of alchemy and its relationship to modern chemistry. Additionally, Principe has authored several scholarly monographs and books for a general audience, including The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction and The Secrets of Alchemy, which serve as textbooks and are available in multiple languages.
Research topics
- Philosophy
- Sociology
- Social Science
- Aesthetics
- History
- Pedagogy
- Art
- Psychoanalysis
- Anthropology
- Communication
- Psychology
Selected publications
2026-02-02
book-chapterThe philosopher Synesius to Dioscorus: Notes on Democritus' Book (= Syn. Alch.)
2026-02-02
book-chapterSynesii philosophi ad Dioscorum in librum Democriti tanquam in scholiis (Z, fols. 701–7619)
2026-02-02
book-chapterBook by Democritus: On the Making of Shiny Gold (= 1SyrC)
2026-02-02
book-chapterDemocriti naturalia et arcana (Z, fols. 621–6721)
2026-02-02
book-chapterAgain by Democritus: I Greet you Wise Men (=3SyrC)
2026-02-02
book-chapterDemocritus, On the Making of Purple and Cold: Natural and Secret Questions (=PM)
2026-02-02
book-chapterSecond Book by the Philosopher Democritus (= 2SyrC)
2026-02-02
book-chapterTheory and Concepts: Conceptual Foundations of Early Modern Chymical Thought and Practice
2022-01-01
other1st authorCorrespondingRevealing Analogies: The Descriptive and Deceptive Roles of Sexuality and Gender in Latin Alchemy
Fordham University Press eBooks · 2022-03-30
book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
Frequent coauthors
- 62 shared
Antonio Clericuzio
Roma Tre University
- 61 shared
Michael Hunter
- 15 shared
William R. Newman
- 7 shared
Philip Magnus
- 4 shared
Woo-Tack Rhee
- 4 shared
Wayne A. Gustavson
- 4 shared
J. J. Zuckerman
- 3 shared
Hjalmar Fors
Karolinska Institutet
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