Rene Descartes

Corpuscular-ism is a physical theory that supposed all matter to be composed of minute particles. This became an important philosophy in the Seventeenth century. Among the leading corpuscular-ins were Robert Boyle, John Locke and Rene Descartes.

Corpuscular-ism is similar to the theory of atom-ism except that while atoms were supposed to be indivisible, corpuscles could be divided.

In this manner it was theorised that mercury could penetrate into metals and modify their inner structure. This was a step on the way towards the production of gold by transmutation of baser metals.

Corpuscular-ism was associated by its leading proponents with the idea that some of the properties that objects appear to have are artifacts of the perceiving mind: “secondary” qualities as distinguished from “primary” qualities.

Corpuscular-ism stayed a dominant theory for centuries and was blended with alchemy in the 17th century by Robert Boyle and Issac Newton.

Thomas Hobbes used corpuscular-ism to justify his political theories in Leviathan. It was used by Newton in his developing the corpuscular theory of light.

Boyle used it to develop his mechanical corpuscular philosophy, which in turn laid the foundations for the Chemical Revolution.