Compared with other scientists of the nineteenth century, the German
chemist Justus von
Liebig (1803–73) was a complex figure. In part, this was because
Liebig established such
broad borders for his science. Chemical methods, popular and professional
publications
about chemistry, technological applications, promoting the car and even
politics – all were
central concerns stemming from Liebig's notion of chemistry as the
central science.
When Liebig discovered John Stuart Mill's Logic, a work on the
philosophy of science,
it struck a deep chord within him. Mill's high praise for Liebig's
chemistry certainly
provided Liebig with a means to promote his own reputation. In addition,
Mill's Logic
presented science as a central method for the general reform of society,
a goal Liebig was
himself struggling to define in the early 1840s. In the scientific method,
Mill discovered a
‘rule by the elite’, which he could never find nor justify
in his political philosophy. This
was a rule that greatly appealed to Liebig, and he set out to ensure that
Mill's work was
translated and published in German. Though many details of this transaction
are known,
this paper seeks to investigate the relationship between Liebig and Mill's
book, and the
significance of this relationship for understanding Liebig's role
as a gatekeeper and inter-relations between science and politics.