Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Author: Professor Steven Matthews

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2013-06-28

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 1409480143

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This study re-evaluates the religious beliefs of Francis Bacon and the role which his theology played in the development of his program for the reform of learning and the natural sciences, the Great Instauration. Bacon's Instauration writings are saturated with theological statements and Biblical references which inform and explain his program, yet this aspect of his writings has received little attention. Previous considerations of Bacon's religion have been drawn from a fairly short list of his published writings. Consequently, Bacon has been portrayed as everything from an atheist to a Puritan; scholarly consensus is lacking. This book argues that by considering the historical context of Bacon's society, and his conversion from Puritanism to anti-Calvinism as a young man, his own theology can be brought into clearer focus, and his philosophy more properly understood. After leaving his mother's household, Bacon underwent a transformation of belief which led him away from his mother's Calvinism and toward the writings of the ancient Church Fathers, particularly Irenaeus of Lyon. Bacon's theology increasingly came to reflect the theological interests of his friend and editor Lancelot Andrewes. The patristic turn of Bacon's belief in the last two decades of the reign of Elizabeth significantly affected the development of his philosophical program which was produced in the first two decades of the Stuart era. This study then examines the theology present in the Instauration writings themselves and concludes with a consideration of the effect which Bacon's theology had on the subsequent direction of empirical science and natural theology in the English context. In so doing it not only offers a new perspective on Bacon, but will serve as a contribution toward a better understanding of the religious context of, and motivations behind, empirical science in early modern England.


Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Author: Steven Matthews

Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 9780754662525

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Although many books have been published on Francis Bacon there is still no scholarly consensus on his religious beliefs and how they may have affected his work. This monograph contributes possible answers to the questions of what Bacon believed and how it may have affected the development of his program for scientific reform, the 'Great Instauration'. The work also offers a new approach to the question of the interaction of religion and science in early modern England by considering the effect of patristic theology on the development of new ways of considering the relationship of God and nature, and the place of human beings in the cosmos.


Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Theology and Science in the Thought of Francis Bacon

Author: Steven Matthews

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-11-22

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1351144707

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This study re-evaluates the religious beliefs of Francis Bacon and the role which his theology played in the development of his program for the reform of learning and the natural sciences, the Great Instauration. Bacon's Instauration writings are saturated with theological statements and Biblical references which inform and explain his program, yet this aspect of his writings has received little attention. Previous considerations of Bacon's religion have been drawn from a fairly short list of his published writings. Consequently, Bacon has been portrayed as everything from an atheist to a Puritan; scholarly consensus is lacking. This book argues that by considering the historical context of Bacon's society, and his conversion from Puritanism to anti-Calvinism as a young man, his own theology can be brought into clearer focus, and his philosophy more properly understood. After leaving his mother's household, Bacon underwent a transformation of belief which led him away from his mother's Calvinism and toward the writings of the ancient Church Fathers, particularly Irenaeus of Lyon. Bacon's theology increasingly came to reflect the theological interests of his friend and editor Lancelot Andrewes. The patristic turn of Bacon's belief in the last two decades of the reign of Elizabeth significantly affected the development of his philosophical program which was produced in the first two decades of the Stuart era. This study then examines the theology present in the Instauration writings themselves and concludes with a consideration of the effect which Bacon's theology had on the subsequent direction of empirical science and natural theology in the English context. In so doing it not only offers a new perspective on Bacon, but will serve as a contribution toward a better understanding of the religious context of, and motivations behind, empirical science in early modern England.


The Religious Foundations of Francis Bacon's Thought

The Religious Foundations of Francis Bacon's Thought

Author: Stephen A. McKnight

Publisher: University of Missouri Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0826264999

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"Presents close analysis of eight of Francis Bacon's texts in order to investigate the relation of his religious views to his instauration. Attempts to correct the persistent misconception of Bacon as a secular modern who dismissed religion in order to promote the human advancement of knowledge"--Provided by publisher.


Freethought and Freedom

Freethought and Freedom

Author: George H. Smith

Publisher: Cato Institute

Published: 2017-07-18

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 1944424385

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Liberty of conscience and freedom of thought are twin, core components of modern life in societies across the world. The ability to pursue one?s vision of the right and the good, coupled with liberty to pursue individual reason and enlightenment, helped produce so much of modern life that we may be apt to forget that libertarian philosophy was not dictated by Nature. Freethought and Freedom surveys the long history of religious and intellectual liberty, exploring their key ideas along the way.


Turning Points in Natural Theology from Bacon to Darwin

Turning Points in Natural Theology from Bacon to Darwin

Author: S. Peterfreund

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Published: 2012-08-06

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780230108844

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Discusses crucial moments in the historical development of natural theology in England from the time of Francis Bacon to that of Charles Darwin. While the argument from design remains the rhetorical method of choice for natural theologians throughout the three centuries in question, the locus and object of design undergo a change.