Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Chemistry's Essential Tensions: Three Views Of A Science, Roald Hoffmann

IMSA Great Minds Program ®

In this generously illustrated lecture several views of chemistry will be presented, stressing its psychological dimension and its tie to the arts: First of all, chemistry is, as it has always been, the art, craft, business of substances and their transformations. It is now also the science of microscopic molecules, both simple and complex. And then there are people’s perceptions of chemistry - alternating between seeing the healing and the hurting aspects of this truly anthropic science. The underlying psychological tensions of this truly anthropic science will be explored.