"Die Wahlverwandtschaften", which can be translated as "Les affinités electctives", is the title of the third novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, published in 1809. Goethe chose this scientific term because it allows to describe the tendency of certain chemicals to combine better with certain substances than others. The novel is based on the metaphor of human passions governed by the laws of chemical affinity, and examines whether science and the laws of chemistry undermine or maintain human social relations. It is the first work to present human relationships as chemical reactions, inspired in fact by the aphorism of the classical Greek philosopher Empedocles:

"People who love each other mix like water and wine ; People who hate each other separate like water and oil."