Historical Figures Codexery

Francis Bacon

English philosopher and statesman, father of empiricism, and founder of the scientific method.

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor under King James I.[1] The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes he was a leading figure in natural philosophy during the transition from the Renaissance to the early modern era.[2] Only through inductive reasoning and the careful observation of natural events did Bacon believe scientific knowledge could be achieved.[3]

Quick Facts

Born
22 January 1561
Birthplace
The Strand, London, England
Died
9 April 1626

Facts from the source article.

Life and work

Bacon was born on 22 January 1561 at York House near Strand in London.[4] He attended Trinity College, Cambridge at age 12, living there for three years under the tutelage of John Whitgift.[5] He supported himself by taking up residence in law at Gray's Inn in 1579.[6] His public career ended in disgrace in 1621 when he was charged with 23 counts of corruption and sentenced to a fine of £40,000.[7]

He died of pneumonia on 9 April 1626 at Highgate outside London.[8] The scientific methods and results of his era were considered mistaken by Bacon after his academic investigations.[9] Elizabeth I designated Bacon as her legal counsel in 1597, making him the first Queen's Counsel designate.[10] After James I succeeded to the throne, Bacon received a knighthood, and later in 1618 was made Baron Verulam, followed by the title Viscount St Alban in 1621.[11][12]

What the cited sources add

It also notes that Bacon played a role in the investigation of English Catholics and argued for stern action against Mary Queen of Scots.[2] According to the same source, Bacon was impeached by Parliament for corruption in 1621 after being created Viscount of St Alban.[2] The Stanford account explains that Bacon found lacking in Aristotle's work a master principle or general theory of science applicable to all branches of natural history.[2] It further describes Bacon's theory of active force in matter, which he called Cupid in De Principiis atque Originibus.[2]

The source adds that Bacon's physiological natural philosophy was influenced by his semi-Paracelsian cosmology.[2]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Bacon" entry in Collins English Dictionary.; Klein, "Francis Bacon", Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2012 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Klein, "Francis Bacon", Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2012. facts only, no text reused. plato.stanford.edu
  3. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "SAGE Handbook of Historical Theory", Sage, 31 January 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peltonen, "Bacon, Francis, Viscount St Alban (1561–1626)", 23 September 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adamson Mitchell 1911, p. 135; Spall, "Francis Bacon's connections with Marks Manor House", Romford Record, 1971, p. 32–37 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ousby, "The Cambridge Paperback Guide to Literature in English", Cambridge University Press, 1996, p. 22; Zagorin, "Francis Bacon", Princeton University Press, 1999, p. 22; Parris, "Great Parliamentary Scandals", Chrysalis, 2004, p. 8–9 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Prose", Broadview Press, 2001, p. 18; "The Broadview Anthology of Seventeenth-Century Prose", Broadview Press, 2001, p. 18 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Crosbie, Christopher. "Francis Bacon and Aristotelian Afterlives," in A Companion to British Literature, ed. Robert DeMaria Jr., Heesok Chang, and Samantha Zach (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Holdsworth, "History of English Law", 1938, p. vi 473–474; Patent Rolls, 2 Jac I p. 12 m 10. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  11. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adamson 1878, p. 200; Peltonen 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  12. Wikipedia, "Francis Bacon" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adamson Mitchell 1911, p. 135; Peltonen 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Francis Bacon (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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