The Angle of Thought

This chapter explores Robert Boyle's experimental work on bioluminescence, focusing on his use of the air pump to investigate how light in decaying organic matter depends on air. Boyle records his findings in a deliberately chaotic narrative that resists tidy scientific method, foregrounding his carelessness as both a liability and a literary strategy. Rather than discipline or clarity, Boyle embraces digression, describing experiments that unfold with interruptions, errors, and even sleep, presenting a natural philosophy shaped by emotional drift and observational mood. The chapter contrasts Boyle's Occasional Reflections (1647–65) with meditative traditions and juxtaposes his narrative with Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler (1653) to emphasize Boyle's literary innovations. Finally, the chapter argues that Boyle's careless, meandering style represents a new mode of scientific imagination rooted in perceptual openness and the unexpected insights it allows.