Francis Bacon

January 22 1561- 9 April 1626. English philosopher and statesman.

Life

At the age of thirteen, Francis Bacon together with his elder brother was sent to Trinity College, Cambridge. This is where he became interested in philosophy and where he first met Queen Elizabeth who was impressed by his intellect. After the death of his father in 1579, he was left with no fortune and was in need to find a profession. He became a lawyer but never deserted his first interest, philosophy. In 1584 he entered the House of Commons where two years later he took part in urging the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. In 1596 he was made a Queen's Counsel and one year later he published his first edition of essays. After the accession of James I, Bacon's political career flourished and he became Lord Chancellor. Finally, he was able to fully concentrate on his philosophical work. However, his political career ended in disgrace in 1621, after he had fallen into debt and was deprived of all public offices. Bacon died in 1626.

Philosophy

Bacon did not establish a philosophy but rather introduced a new method called the Baconian, scientific or empirical method. Up to Bacon's time, philosophy was not so much rooted in reason but in faith (or the sticking to tried and tested authorities, the writings of Aristotle, for example). But for Bacon, the philosopher is supposed to free his mind from false tendencies and notions. For him the importance of knowledge was empirically rooted in the natural world.

Important Works

The Elements of the Common Law of England  (1597) [1]

The Proficience and Advancement of Learning (1605) [2]

Novum Organum (1620) [3]

Sources

Francis Bacon, Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature, 20 July 2009 [4]

Francis Bacon, Wikipedia, 18 July 2009 [5]

Francis Bacon, Klein, Jürgen ed. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 21 July 2009 [6]