Francis Bacon

1561–1626

BACON WAS ACCOMPANIED BY A GENTLEMAN OF THE HOUSEHOLD WHO WAS READY TO SET DOWN HIS THOUGHTS.

Sir Francis Bacon was a very influential minister in the government of James I, a well-respected barrister, Lord Chancellor of England, and a prolific writer on a variety of philosophical topics. He was extremely influential in his own age, and in later years, and is often identified as being associated with the early years of the "Enlightenment" in Europe.

It is difficult to describe the influence of Bacon without a background in philosophy and a knowledge of what the leading ideas and beliefs were of the age in which he lived. We now take for granted many of the ideas that Bacon first proposed, such as the importance of scientific investigation. Bacon wrote in the late middle ages, before any of the heroes of 17th century science, such as Galileo, Newton, or Descartes had appeared on the scene. In his era, scholars typically studied math, languages, and classics, and memorized what little scientific knowledge was already known, but did not consider that it was their calling to actually investigate the physical world, or test their ideas against actual observation. The entire rationalist approach to objective scientific inquiry was not particularly thought of yet, but Bacon made an early argument for it, along with numerous other philosophical ideas.

In Bacon's time, ideas of religious truth, revelation, authority, and the purpose of education was so different from modern ideas that he did not propose his ideas in a manner in which modern readers can easily understand. Even so, he was a highly influential character in the evolution of western thought.

Key events during the life of Sir Francis Bacon:

Year	Event
1561	Birth of Francis Bacon
1573	Attended Trinity college at Cambridge.
1576	Studied in France
1579	Returned to England on death of father.
	Studied Law at Gray's Inn
1584	Elected to Parliament.
1597	Published first collection of Essays.
1605	Published first Philosophical Treaties, Advancement of Learning.
1607	Solicitor-General in James I's government.
1617	Lord Chancellor under James I.
1620	Published second Philosophical Treaties, Novum Organum.
1623	Published third Philosophical Treaties, De Augmentus Scientiarum.
1626	Death of Francis Bacon

Other Resources

Story Links	Book Links
Roger Bacon  in	Stories of the Great Scientists  by  Charles R. Gibson
Bacon—New Ways of Wisdom  in	English Literature for Boys and Girls  by  H. E. Marshall
Lord Bacon  in	Story Lives of Great Scientists  by  F. J. Rowbotham

Image Links
Francis Bacon Francis Bacon  in Back Matter	Bacon was generally accompanied by a gentleman of the household, who was ready to set down his thoughts.  in English Literature for Boys and Girls	Francis Bacon  in Story Lives of Great Scientists
Stopping occasionally to gaze absently through the dusty panes  in Story Lives of Great Scientists	Her young Lord Keeper  in Story Lives of Great Scientists	Statue of Sir Francis Bacon, Gray's Inn  in Story Lives of Great Scientists

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