Categories: Alternative conceptions
An example of an historical scientific idea that would now be considered an alternative conception:
"It is curious to note that even Lavoisier retained a shadow of the old views of combustion. Men had long been puzzled by the departure of heat and the radiation of light, and to explain these he introduced the idea of a weightless caloric which was involved in the process of combustion."
Herbert Butterfield (1957) The Origins of Modern Science 1300-1800 (New Edition: Revised and enlarged). G. Bell and Sons Ltd., London.
