(#12) POST 1-3 of FRANCIS BACON (alltogether)

POST 1
In this first post I would like to give you an overview of my next two posts. In the second post I will give you an extended time line. In the time line I will mention mile stones leading to his profession and works published. In the third post I will tell you about his philosophy. The philosophy I will focus on is his philosophy about science. Throughout the post I will include videos and links to where I found all my information. The philosopher I am doing is none other than Francis Bacon.

The time line I will be doing contains Francis bacon's birth January 22, 1561. his death in April 9, 1626. Even works published after his death.

The philosophy of Francis Bacon is one I am sure we all know, but are not aware that he was the one responsible for.

In this first post besides giving you an over view I would like to mention quotes associated with Francis Bacon. His quote that I am sure you have all heard being in school is "Knowledge is power." Another quote by Francis bacon you may not have heard is "Small amounts of philosophy lead to atheism, but larger amounts bring us back to God." If you would like to read more quotes by Francis bacon you can visit http://iperceptive.com/authors/francis_bacon_quotes.html. They have over four pages of inspirational quotes; most of the quotes come from the books Francis Bacon has written. If you get anything from this post and the next two post I would hope it would be knowledge.



POST 2

TIME LINE OF FRANCIS BACON:

January 22, 1561
Born
1573
Entered Trinity College
1576-1579
Left Trinity college for Gray’s Inn to begin his legal career
1582
Called to the bar
1584
Membership in Parliament
1589
Advancement to the position of Queen’s Counsel; under Elizabeth there wasn’t much opportunity for advancement. An Advertisement Touching the Controversies of the Church of England (1589) had brought himm political advancement.
1593
Enemies at court used the opportunity to bar his way to promotion .
1597
Essayes (rev. 1612, 1625)
1601
A Declaration of the Practices and Treasons Attempted and Committed by Robert, Late Earle of Essex

His friendship with the young earl of Essex did not bring him hoped-for political gain; Essex’s rebelled against the queen; Bacon’s position required him to partake in the prosecution of his former friend.
1605
The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Humane (rev. 1623; best known as Advancement of Learning)
1606
Married Alice Barnham; they had no children
1609
De Sapientia Veterum (The Wisdom of the Ancients, 1619)
1613
Became the office of attorney general
1617
Promoted to the high position of lord keeper
1620
Novum Organum (English translation, 1802) &Instauratio Magna (The Great Instauration, 1653)
1621
Made lord chancellor and baron

Charged with bribery Bacon resigned from office; he was imprisoned and was banished from the court and upon his death still had not received full royal pardon.
1622
Historia Ventorum (History of Winds, 1653)

The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh
1623
Historia Vitae et Mortis (History of Life and Death, 1638)
1625
The Translation of Certaine Psalmes into English Verse
April 9, 1626
Died
1627
Sylva Sylvarum

New Atlantis
1653
Valerius Terminus (View of Form, 1734)

Lutz, Reinhart. "Francis Bacon." Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia (2015): Research Starters. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.


POST 3

PHILOSOPHY OF FRANCIS BACON

Bacon Francis denounced the scholastic thinkers for their attachment to Aristotelian doctrines, which he felt prevented independent thinking and the acquisition of new ideas regarding nature. He argued that to improve the quality of human life, the advancement of science should not depend on ancient texts, and old authorities should be considered redundant and unnecessary. He believed that knowledge should be pursued in a new and organized way (The scientific method). Bacon could see that the only knowledge of importance to humanity was empirically rooted in the natural world; and that a clear system of scientific inquiry would assure mastery over the material world. Bacon was among the first to appreciate the value of the new science for human life. He stated that knowledge should help utilize nature for human advantage and should improve the quality of life by advancing commerce, industry and agriculture.

He believed that knowledge is power and he urged the government to create scientific institutions to praise the progress in technology and the mechanical arts. Although Bacon was not a scientific investigator himself, he used political influence to support the scientific projects with the use of inductive reasoning. During his reign in office, he encouraged the organization of science itself, the communication between centers of learning to share research and resources, and of royal patronage for the sciences. A direct result was the formation of The Royal Society in Britain, formed with the financial support of the Crown. By the middle of the seventeenth century, the new science was firmly established throughout Europe.

His philosophy was contrasted by the position taken by the Roman Catholic Church at the time. The Church had taken the offensive in preserving the core of its heritage, and this new science appeared to be another act of heresy. Scientific investigation in Catholic European countries caused conflict between authority and knowledge. The sceptics concluded that nothing was known and nothing was knowable. This outrageous new outlook inevitably led to the most shocking of all possible ideas, "atheism."


Bacon had mixed views when it came to the practice of astrology. He felt that astrology was very full of superstition, and thought that astrology needed to be based on reason and physical speculation. He held that astrological predictions of the climate and what each season would bring forth, could be accurate and have some value. Astrology would be used for the prediction of comets, meteors, coming droughts, heats, frosts, earthquakes, fiery eruptions, winds, great rains, the seasons of the year, plagues, epidemic diseases, plenty, famine, wars, transmigration of people, or great innovations of things both natural and civil . Astrology could be used for agricultural or horticultural actions, factors including planting according to the phase of the Moon would be particularly important. He rejected the use of all semi-magical uses of astrology connected with seals, talismans, amulets, etc. In Novum Organum, Bacon was very dismissive and said that all superstition is much the same whether it was in regards to astrology, dreams, omens, or any of the like. He thought that astrology should only be applied to the world of nature and human history in its collective sense, but not to the life and fortune of any individual. In other words, Bacon advocated the use of mundane astrology, and nothing more.

Bacon coined the ideal slogan "Knowledge is Power" to help convert the doubters. Though many of the Natural Philosophers preferred to investigate from the certainty of one's mind, Bacon urged the use of the inductive approach. He insisted that explanation from observations untainted by theoretical preconceptions was the only true way to get untainted results. He envisioned a future utopian island community dedicated to investigating new ways of harnessing nature’s powers for the benefit of society. Of course he was vague about how all that would come about, but did insist that information collected by teams of researchers who were organized into separate projects, could accumulate facts that their leaders would digest into scientific knowledge.

"Francis Bacon: The Natural Philosopher." Francis Bacon: The Natural Philosopher. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.