Reification of Energy

Chapter 4 is devoted to a new phase of the concept: energy becomes a substance. Based on Maxwell’s concept of the electromagnetic field, Poynting defends the thesis that energy moves in space. His argument is only theoretical. Nevertheless, Lodge finds here a reason to reinforce his idea of energy: it exists in bodies and in the aether and can be transferred between them. Understandably, energy was understood as a substance. There were, however, physicists who criticized the concept. Planck, Hertz and Poincaré will be considered. The third and final section of the chapter, “The Super Concept”, approaches a generalization of the concept of energy never seen in a scientific concept. This was Ostwald's work.