EZASENDULO
UJoseph Priestley
“Ukuhileleka kwakhe emikhakheni ehlukahlukene, intshiseko yakhe, imisebenzi nokuthobeka kwakhe; ilukuluku elikhulu ayenalo, kuzo zonke izinto ezidinga ukwenziwa, ezokuziphatha, noma ezenhlalo; indima yakhe kwezesayensi, ezenkolo, kuyifilosofi nakwezombusazwe; indima aba nayo ezinguqukweni zoMbuso waseFrance, nendaba edabukisayo yokuhlupheka kwakhe ngokungafanele, kungamenza abonakale njengeqhawe lekhulu le-18.”—Isazi sefilosofi uFrederic Harrison.
YINI ephawuleka kakhulu eyafezwa uJoseph Priestley? Izinto azithola nazibhala zayithonya indlela abantu ababebheka ngayo indima kahulumeni, isimo sikaNkulunkulu, ngisho nomoya esiwuphefumulayo.
Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi wayebhala ngezinto eziphathelene nesayensi noma ezenkolo, uPriestley wazilahla izincazelo ezingenasisekelo nezimfundiso ezithandwayo, wakhetha ukunamathela kulokho okunobufakazi nokuyiqiniso. Ake sibone ukuthi kanjani.
UKUFUNA KWAKHE IQINISO NGESAYENSI
Ngemva kokuhlangana kwakhe nososayensi waseMelika uBenjamin Franklin ngo-1765, uJoseph Priestley—owayengene emkhakheni wesayensi ukuze nje azilibazise—waqala ukuhlola indlela ugesi osebenza ngayo. Ngonyaka owalandela, abanye ososayensi bahlabeka umxhwele ngenxa yezinto ayezitholile kangangokuba bamkhetha ukuba abe yilungu lenhlangano ehlonishwayo i-Royal Society of London.
Ngemva kwalokho, uPriestley waphendukela emkhakheni wesayensi yokuthakwa kwamakhemikhali. Ngemva kwesikhashana nje, wathola izinhlobo eziningana zamagesi, kuhlanganise i-ammonia ne-nitrious oxide (igesi ebangela ukuhleka). Waze ngisho waxubanisa amanzi nesikhutha, ngaleyo ndlela wasungula amanzi okwenziwa ngawo iziphuzo ezibandayo (carbonated water).
Ngo-1774, lapho enza ucwaningo lwakhe empumalanga yeNgilandi, uPriestley wahlunga igesi ebalulekile eyayenza amakhandlela akhanye kakhudlwana. Kamuva, wafaka amamililitha angu-60 ale gesi engilazini, wafaka negundane. Leli gundane lakwazi ukuphila isikhathi eside ngokuphindwe kabili kunaleso elalingasiphila engilazini enomoya nje ovamile! UPriestley ngokwakhe wayihogela le gesi, futhi wathi “wayekuthola kulula ukuphefumula ngemva kokuyihogela.”
UJoseph Priestley wayethole igesi okuthiwa umoya-mpilo.a Nokho, le gesi akayibizanga ngokuthi umoya-mpilo, ecabanga ukuthi umoya nje ovamile owawunqanda ukubhebhetheka komlilo. Isiphetho sakhe sasiyiphutha, kodwa abaningi basabheka lokho akuthola “njengengqopha-mlando emisebenzini yakhe.”
UKUFUNA KWAKHE IQINISO KWEZENKOLO
Njengoba nje uPriestley ayekholelwa ukuthi imibono abantu abasuke sebenayo isitha amaqiniso esayensi, waphetha ngokuthi inqubo kanye nezimfundiso zesonto kwakufihla iqiniso elingokwenkolo. Okuxakayo ukuthi phakathi nesikhathi sokuphila kwakhe efuna ulwazi lweBhayibheli, uPriestley wamukela imiqondo engqubuzana nalokho iBhayibheli elikufundisayo ngempela. Ngokwesibonelo, kunesikhathi lapho ayengakholelwa khona ukuthi iBhayibheli liphefumulelwe uNkulunkulu ngokuyisimangaliso. Wenqaba nemfundiso yeBhayibheli ephathelene nokuphila kukaJesu kwangaphambi kokuba eze emhlabeni.
“Uma kuwukuthi isayensi izama ukuthola iqiniso, khona-ke uPriestley wayengusosayensi wangempela.”—UKatherine Cullen, usosayensi wezinto eziphilayo
Ngakolunye uhlangothi, uPriestley wazidalula izimfundiso zenkolo ezingamanga ezazemukelwa kabanzi ezinkolweni ezinkulu, futhi ezisamukelwa nanamuhla. Wabhala ukuthi iqiniso elafundiswa uJesu nabalandeli bakhe kamuva lonakaliswa amanga—ahlanganisa imfundiso engamanga kaZiqu-zintathu, inkolelo-ze yokuthi umphefumulo awufi kanye nokukhulekelwa kwezithombe, okulahlwayo eBhayibhelini.
Imibono kaPriestley engokwenkolo nokusekela kwakhe ukulwelwa kwezinguquko eMelika naseFrance kwawathukuthelisa amaNgisi akubo. Ngo-1791, isixuku sacekela phansi umuzi wakhe nendawo yakhe yokwenza ucwaningo lwesayensi, futhi ekugcineni uPriestley wabalekela e-United States. Nakuba uJoseph Priestley ekhunjulwa ngokuyinhloko ngezinto zesayensi azithola, wayekholelwa ukuthi ukufunda ngoNkulunkulu nenjongo yaKhe “kwakuhlonipheke futhi kubaluleke kunakho konke okunye.”
a Ngaphambidlana kwalokho, usosayensi wamakhemikhali waseSwirtzerland uCarl Scheele wakwazi ukuhlunga umoya-mpilo, kodwa akabhalanga lutho ngaleyo ndaba. Kamuva, isazi samakhemikhali u-Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier wetha lo moya igama elithi oxygen.