Patricia Fara, a Senior Tutor at Clare College, specializes in the history of science; Stephen Pumfrey studies Baconian science as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lancaster; and Rhodri Lewis, a Fellow at St Hughes College, provides literary insights. They delve into Francis Bacon's dual legacy as a lawyer and philosopher, exploring his revolutionary Baconian Method and its ongoing influence. Discussions highlight the collaborative ideals of Solomon's House and Bacon's integral role in shaping empirical science, all while critiquing the elitism in modern scientific practices.
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Bacon as Moses
Francis Bacon's poem describes him as a Moses-like figure leading people to the promised land of knowledge.
This reflects his ambition for a new scientific method.
insights INSIGHT
Bacon's Legal Influence
Bacon's legal background influenced his scientific approach, treating nature like a witness in a trial.
He believed in extracting knowledge through rigorous investigation, even using metaphors of torture.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Novum Organum Frontispiece
The frontispiece of Bacon's Novum Organum depicts ships sailing beyond the Pillars of Hercules, symbolizing venturing into uncharted scientific territory.
This embodies Bacon's call for a new scientific method based on observation.
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Written in 1667, this book provides insights into the society's founding, its early members, and their scientific endeavors. It is significant for its detailed description of the scientific methods and philosophies of the time.
Novum organum
Francis Bacon
Novum Organum, written in Latin and published in 1620, is a key work by Francis Bacon that critiques traditional deductive reasoning and Aristotelian logic. It proposes a new method of scientific inquiry based on inductive reasoning, emphasizing the importance of empirical observation and experimentation. The book is part of Bacon's larger, unfinished work, Instauratio Magna (The Great Instauration), and it introduces the concept of 'idols' that mislead human reasoning. Bacon's method involves meticulous observation, the removal of biases, and the systematic gathering of data to form conclusions, laying the groundwork for the modern scientific method[1][2][5].
New Atlantis
Francis Bacon
Written around 1623 and published posthumously in 1627, 'New Atlantis' is a philosophical and utopian work by Francis Bacon. The story follows a group of sailors who discover the mysterious island of Bensalem, where they encounter a society governed by a democratically elected parliament and guided by the principles of Salomon’s House, an institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the study of nature. The novel emphasizes the integration of science and ethics in governance and highlights Bacon’s vision of a society where knowledge and reason are central to human progress and happiness[1][2][5].
Patricia Fara, Stephen Pumfrey and Rhodri Lewis join Melvyn Bragg to discuss the Jacobean lawyer, political fixer and alleged founder of modern science Francis Bacon.In the introduction to Thomas Spratt's History of the Royal Society, there is a poem about man called Francis Bacon which declares 'Bacon, like Moses, led us forth at last, The barren wilderness he past, Did on the very border stand Of the blest promis'd land, And from the mountain's top of his exalted wit, Saw it himself, and shew'd us it'.Francis Bacon was a lawyer and political schemer who climbed the greasy pole of Jacobean politics and then fell down it again. But he is most famous for developing an idea of how science should be done - a method that he hoped would slough off the husk of ancient thinking and usher in a new age. It is called Baconian Method and it has influenced and inspired scientists from Bacon's own time to the present day.
In Our Time 
