"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.
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St. Alban(s), was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, jurist and author. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England. He was extremely influential through his works, especially as philosophical advocate and practitioner of the scientific method during the scientific revolution. Francis Bacon's Philosophy is displayed in the vast and varied writings he left, which might be divided in three great branches: Scientifical works - in which his ideas for an universal reform of knowledge, scientific method and the improvement of mankind's state are presented. Religious/literary works - in which he presents his moral philosophy and theological meditations. Juridical works - in which his reforms in Law are proposed.
Francis Bacon, long considered a minor figure in the founding of modern political thought, is now recognized as one of its foremost thinkers. Bacon not only championed a new type and method of scientific inquiry, he also developed a plan for how modern society could be re-ordered to accommodate and promote scientific progress. Bacon’s scientific writings cannot be wholly understood apart from his political writings, and many of his works combine the two topics so subtly that it is difficult to even place them in a definitive category; in this book, Kimberly Hurd Hale identifies the thread in Bacon’s body of work that links modern science and liberalism. Hale provides a detailed analysis of New Atlantis, examining Bacon’s place in the founding of modern political philosophy and the ways he relates to Plato, Machiavelli, and Hobbes. Hurd argues that Bacon’s demonstration of scientific rule in the New Atlantis is not meant as a blueprint for modern society; rather it shows us the dangers of a scientific society devoid of liberty. By examining what is troubling about the New Atlantis, this book explains what problems lead to the emergence of Atlantean societies, i.e. societies that are prosperous, ambitious, and doomed. It shows that Bacon’s portrait of Bensalem may provide the light necessary to guide those of us living in a world shaped by modern science through the dangerous seas.
The Essays (1625) is a collection of writings by Francis Bacon, one of England’s most prominent philosophers and scientists whose work was central to shaping the ideals of the Renaissance and scientific revolution. Although Bacon is remembered today as the father of modern science, this collection contains his thoughts on mostly moral and civil matters, highlighting his immense skill as a philosopher and statesman. Filled with references to and quotes from such biblical and classical sources as Seneca, Epicurus, Solomon, David, and Caesar—to name only a few—Bacon grounds his work in the rich continuum of human history, religion, and philosophy. In “Of Death,” he compares the human fear of death to a child’s fear of the dark to argue that it is an essential and natural aspect of human life. In “Of Revenge,” Bacon weighs the consequences of vindictiveness against the merciful necessity of forgiveness. In “Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature,” Bacon differentiates between the innate goodness of humanity and the glaring need for the cultivation of goodness as a habit in human society. These are only some of the subjects Bacon approaches with his hallmark rational and concise style. Others include the relationship between parents and children, the nature of superstition, and the need to privilege utility over style in homebuilding. Overall, The Essays is both a wide-ranging meditation on daily and eternal matters of human existence and a fascinating look at the particulars of life in Renaissance England. Completed only a year before his death, The Essays is one of Francis Bacon’s most accessible works, as well as a fitting culmination of a life and career dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. This text illuminates for us the thoughts and feelings of one of history’s finest intellectuals, a man whose ideas continue to shape our world and the way we see it over four centuries later. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Essays by Francis Bacon is a classic of English literature and philosophy reimagined for modern readers.
A key figure in the Scientific Revolution, Francis Bacon laid the foundations for the modern scientific method by stressing the importance of gathering data and testing results. Aspects of three works are examined for their contributions to science: The Advancement of Learning, Novum Organum, and New Atlantis. A final chapter�especially relevant in the light of the current environmental crisis�looks at Bacon's notion that man should use all of nature for his benefit. This volume can be easily integrated into a science, social studies, or English curriculum and used to promote Common Core State Standards for critical thinking.
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.
