Francis Bacon (1561-1626), commonly regarded as one of the founders of
the Scientific Revolution, exerted a powerful influence on the
intellectual development of the modern world. He also led a remarkably
varied and dramatic life as a philosopher, writer, lawyer, courtier, and
statesman. Although there has been much recent scholarship on individual
aspects of Bacon's career, Perez Zagorin's is the first work in many
years to present a comprehensive account of the entire sweep of his
thought and its enduring influence. Combining keen scholarly and
psychological insights, Zagorin reveals Bacon as a man of genius, deep
paradoxes, and pronounced flaws.
The book begins by sketching Bacon's complex personality and troubled
public career. Zagorin shows that, despite his idealistic philosophy and
rare intellectual gifts, Bacon's political life was marked by continual
careerism in his efforts to achieve advancement. He follows Bacon's rise
at court and describes his removal from his office as England's highest
judge for taking bribes. Zagorin then examines Bacon's philosophy and
theory of science in connection with his project for the promotion of
scientific progress, which he called "The Great Instauration." He shows
how Bacon's critical empiricism and attempt to develop a new method of
discovery made a seminal contribution to the growth of science. He
demonstrates Bacon's historic importance as a prophetic thinker, who, at
the edge of the modern era, predicted that science would be used to
prolong life, cure diseases, invent new materials, and create new
weapons of destruction. Finally, the book examines Bacon's writings on
such subjects as morals, politics, language, rhetoric, law, and history.
Zagorin shows that Bacon was one of the great legal theorists of his
day, an influential philosopher of language, and a penetrating
historian.
Clearly and beautifully written, the book brings out the richness,
scope, and greatness of Bacon's work and draws together the many,
colorful threads of an extraordinarily brilliant and many-sided mind.
