Advancement of Learning (Oxford English Texts)

Francis Bacon, Arthur Johnston

ISBN 10: 0198710690 / ISBN 13: 9780198710691

Published by Oxford University Press 19/09/1974, 1974

About this Item

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: Advancement of Learning (Oxford English Texts)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press 19/09/1974
• Publication Date: 1974
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0198710690
• ISBN 13: 9780198710691
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

Francis Bacon's The Advancement of Learning (1605) is considered the first major philosophical book written in English. In it, Bacon is concerned with scientific learning: the current state of knowledge, obstacles to its progress, and his own plans for revitalization of schools and universities. Here Bacon sets forth the first account of science as intended for "the relief of man's estate."

With this newly designed and reset edition, this important work is again available in paperback. Difficult and fundamental, The Advancement of Learning helps define the modern era.

"This extraordinary genius, when it was impossible to write a history of what men already knew, wrote one of that which they had to learn." --Diderot

"Bacon was the first to address the issues that have again become so pressing in our time: Why should we pursue scientific progress? What are the implications of modern science for religion and morality? Does technology enhance or disfigure the human soul?...It is therefore hard to imagine a book more attuned to our times." --from the new Introduction by Jerry Weinberger

Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a philosopher, statesman, and essayist. He served as the attorney general and Lord Chancellor of England and was the author of Novum Organum.

Jerry Weinberger is Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University.

Review

While he didn't exactly invent science, Francis Bacon is its best-known early promoter. The Advancement of Learning is his 1605 argument in favour of natural philosophy and inductive reasoning, and is just as vigorous and cogent today. Though using the language of Shakespeare, the book is still largely accessible to modern readers--still, a bit of classical knowledge is helpful. Shaking off the centuries-old domination of Aristotle, Bacon advocated building scientific theories on facts and observations rather than pure reason; little has changed in our approach to understanding the world since then. Of greatest interest to historians and philosophers of science, the book will also appeal to those curious about the underpinnings of today's naturalistic thinking. --Rob Lightner