The Most Controversial Figure in Science

 

A Lavoisier Legacy

Starting all the way back in 1768 at just the age of 26, Antoine Lavoisier bought a practicing share in the Ferme Generale, a French institution that collected taxes and fees for the French government, yet taxed the poor heavily compared to the rich. This practicing share was nothing short of successful for Lavoisier, as he earned $20 million a year with today’s inflation applied. Lavoisier would use his immense wealth towards his one and true passion in life: science. Despite being hated by the general public, Lavoisier was about to become one of the greatest, yet most controversial chemist of all time.

A Busy Scientist

In 1771 at the age of 28, married his bosses’ fourteen-year-old daughter named Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier. Despite Marie being half the age of Antoine, the two Lavoisiers proved to be a well productive pair, especially in the field of science. The two worked very closely together by setting aside five hours a day towards science, two hours in the mornings and three hours in the evenings. On Sundays however, the two set the entire day aside for specifically science, and the two called Sunday their jour de bonheur, which translates into “day of happiness”. At the same time, Lavoisier was the commissioner of gunpowder in France, he supervised the formation of a wall around Paris to keep smugglers out, he helped create the metric system, and was also the co-author for the “Bible” for the elements, the book being named Methode de Nomenclature Chimique. While Lavoisier boasted many great achievements, it were his achievements in science that made him the great scientist he’s known as today.

Elements of Greatness

One of the most notable things about Lavoisier was his immense wealth, as discussed earlier. The man earned $20 million a year, which was plenty to support his passion towards science. With this wealth, Lavoisier was able to create the world’s finest private laboratory, estimated to contain almost thirteen thousand beakers. Yet, many would be shocked to hear Lavoisier never discovered a single element, despite the rest of the science community being focused only on discovering elements. Instead, Lavoisier wanted to improve upon already made discoveries. With this intent, Lavoisier and his wife made the incredible discovery that mass can only be transformed and never eliminated, since they studied that a rusting object will gain weight. This of course is known as the conservation of mass, an idea heavily used as the basis in modern chemistry today. Lavoisier also gave oxygen and hydrogen their names and identified their exact properties. While the Lavoisiers brought new clarity to the field of chemistry, they could not bring any clarity to their dire situation. Lavoisier’s involvement with the immensely hated Ferme Generale did not sit well with the public, and his time was running out.

The Reign of Terror

Earlier in Lavoisier’s career, he made a small insult towards a fellow scientist that he would never expect to be so fatal. In 1780, a fellow French scientist named Jean-Paul Marat came up with a brand-new theory of combustion. Lavoisier denounced Marat’s theory claiming it was wrong (which it was), and Marat took it personally. Eleven years later in 1791, Marat was now a leading voice of the National Assembly, and denounced Lavoisier for his involvement in the Ferme Generale and Lavoisier's involvement in Paris’ wall he helped build, since the public hated the wall. The Reign of Terror began in late 1793 during the French revolution and many turned their hatred towards Lavoisier. Despite attempting to slip away to Scotland with his wife, Lavoisier was caught and put on trial with thirty-one other members of the Ferme Generale. Lavoisier was found guilty and sentenced to death. Lavoisier was taken to the Place de la Revolution to watch his father-in-law get beheaded, then was beheaded himself shortly after.

Lavoisier Today

Antoine Lavoisier died at the age of 50 and left behind a large legacy lush with science and hatred. His discovery of the conservation of mass proved to be his most important, as modern chemistry is founded heavily upon the same principle. Lavoisier also had many other discoveries such as his oxygen theory of combustion, his help towards pioneering stoichiometry, and his identification of oxygen and hydrogen. Even though he had great contributions, Lavoisier was not a good role model for future scientists thanks to his negative contributions outside science, which is something that can be seen through many huge figures throughout the course of history. Two modern day examples of this role model can be seen in Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Steve Jobs was infamous for being extremely frustrating to work with, as well as being infamous for a few anger issues. Mark Zuckerberg on the other hand, is accused of stealing the idea for Facebook and stealing people’s privacies. With these two examples being more than 200 years from Lavoisier’s time, it seems very true that Lavoisier created a new trend for rich, popular figures that have terrible qualities. Who are some other notable scientists and/or figures who didn’t have the best intentions but helped push the envelope forward in their field? Leave your answers in the comments!

Works Cited

“Elemental Matters.” A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson, Broadway Books, 2003, pp. 99–102.

“Antoine Lavoisier.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Antoine-Lavoisier.

Kelly, Debra. “Respected Scientists Who Were Actually Terrible People.” Grunge.com, Grunge, 23 Aug. 2018, www.grunge.com/131835/respected-scientists-who-were-actually-terrible-people/.