The Scientific Revolution in 1660s

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The Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution has been an important topic in philosophy since the 1660s. Robert Boyle is one of the key figures in the scientific process and a prominent scientist of his day. He was an advocate of experimental science, arguing that theory ought to conform to observation. Boyle also championed openness in experimental result publication and the significance of recording even those experiments that did not work out.
From around 1652, Robert Boyle was working on several projects involving pneumatics, medicine, hydraulics, and chemical analysis. He involved himself with like-minded, natural philosophers and anti-Aristotelian, who considered his pneumatics work a paradigm of science. Apart from being one of the founders of modern science laboratories, Boyle's articles and books were in high demand across Europe during the scientific revolution (Jenkins).
Together with Robert Hooke, Boyle designed and enhanced an air pump capable of developing and sustaining a vacuum. He used this pump in performing many famous experiments. His air-pump experiments were published in 1660 (Jenkins, Jane E). By the time people learned about them, several scientific and religious questions were raising heated debates.
What is a vacuum?
Can a vacuum exist in the world?
Is matter infinitely divisible?
These experiments also resulted in theological and religious questions. These included; Is God responsible for the motion generated by the air pump? The 17th century is notable both for the number and variety of arguments provided to prove God's existence (Jenkins).
These experiments led to a controversy between Robert Boyle and Henry More, a famous Cambridge Platonist. More used these experiments to declare that they provided undeniable proof for an incorporeal spirit's activity on the matter. He made a first passing reference to Boyle's experiments in his Antidote against Atheism, published in 1662. More used these experiments to promote and support his theory claiming an immaterial spirit of nature that was operating on behalf of God to maintain the universal order. More argued that all experiment work must portray the real action of energy in nature (Jenkins).
At first, Boyle had decided to stay away from the public debate, believing...