January 22, 2011, 450 years passed since the birth of Francis Bacon (1561-1626) - the famous English politician and philosopher - the founder of English materialism and experimental science. Philosophy of Bacon begun the release of scientific thought from church dogma and scholastic pseudo-science, the story of modern philosophy and ... engineering.
At the grand opening of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, August 31, 1898 V.L. Kirpichev said: "In classical antiquity and the Middle Ages there were no applied sciences. The real knowledge of that time were limited to the seven liberal arts (trivium - grammar, rhetoric, dialectics, and the quadrivium - arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music - VM) . All the other arts were not considered to be free, and only slaves were engaged in them.
The importance of technology, the need to deal with it, emphasis on the dignity of these activities, rehabilitation of the case, the release from derogatory names "servile arts", the setting of the notion Applied Sciences and their goals – it is all owned by the famous Bacon Verulam. Purpose of Sciences, he said, is to serve the convenience of the human race, endow people with new means and forces to reduce inconvenience and difficulties of life. The purpose of science - the welfare of the human race. Two concepts constituted the base of F. Bacon doctrine - the usefulness and progress. And up today they remained the motto of the engineering science. "
Francis Bacon lived in the era of universal scientific and cultural development, which began in Europe in the XVI century. His contemporaries were Cervantes (1547-1616), Bruno (1548-1600), Galileo (1564-1642), William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Kepler (1571-1630).
Father Francis Bacon more than 20 years was Lord Keeper of large royal seal under Queen Elizabeth. His contemporaries considered him the second man in the court after the Lord Treasurer. The mother of Francis Anna was the daughter of A.Kuk, mentor of King Edward VI in his youth. She was brilliantly educated for those time. The family was an atmosphere of interest in politics and science. Father gave the children the first lessons in politics, law, oratory. Mother taught children Greek children, Latin, French. Even as a child, Francis has showed an exceptional talent - 12 years old he was enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge, and for three years passed the entire course of "free science" of the time. In order to prepare Bacon to his political career his father sent him in 1576 to France in the suite of the English ambassador. That was four years after the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Impressed by the sad experience of France, F. Bacon had the idea of religious war as a great disaster and the need for religious tolerance. Due to the sudden death of his father Francis Bacon left France in 1579. He studied at the Law School Gray's Inn in 1582 and became a lawyer, quickly gained popularity in legal practice and treatises in the field of law.
In 1584, Bacon was first elected to the House of Commons of the British Parliament. There he stood for the improvement of weights and measures, for the protection of religious tolerance, law reform and gained considerable credibility.
In 1603 Elizabeth I died, James I became the King of England, and from this time the political rise of Francis Bacon started. In 1603 he received the dignity of knighthood, in 1607 became the Solicitor General (representative of the king in the courts), in 1613 - the Attorney General (the highest position in the field of Justice). In 1617, Bacon became Lord Keeper of the large royal seal, in 1618 - the Lord Chancellor of England. In 1618 he received the title of Baron Verulamsk in 1620 - Viscount St Albany. In 1621 Bacon was accused of accepting bribes, was sentenced to a fine of £ 40,000, imprisonment for a term in the Tower "at the discretion of the King" and banned from holding any public position. It should be noted that in prison, Bacon stayed only three days. The king freed him from a fine, and three years later gave a full pardon, but in political activities he was not allowed. Moving away from politics, Bacon has been writing philosophical and historical works. He died April 9, 1626, catching the cold during the experiments on preserving of meat with snow.
In 1597, Bacon firstly published "The experience or instruction moral and political", which are the essays on ethical and socio-political themes. In these works there was the beginning of the formulation of the opposite scholasticism practical philosophical doctrine, which is not subject to any authority, an abstract doctrine, but is based on thinking about the experienced events, and partly on the writings of ancient authors.
In 1612 there was published the second edition of "experience", considerably enlarged. This work has gained immense popularity. In 1618 it was translated and published in Italian, in 1619 - in French. In 1625, Bacon issued again "experience" - both English and Latin. Here, the number of "experience" brought to 58. The book was sold all over the world, was published even in Sanskrit. Written in excellent language, this work today can give pleasure to those who love to read intelligent books.
In 1609 Bacon publishes treatise "On the wisdom of the ancients," where allegorically interpreted the ancient Greek myths, gave his understanding of important philosophical problems. This work was reprinted in England, Italy and France.
Around 1603 in the "Introduction to the interpretation of nature" Bacon wrote that for a long time came to think about what the correct method of investigating nature may give clues to its secrets and to dominate things. Having decided to reform science, Bacon in 1605 published a paper "On the progress of learning "where claimed that he decided to ring the bell to gather minds. This work, considerably revised and expanded, later became the first part of his major work," The Great restoration of Sciences. "
In 1620 Francis Bacon published "New Organon", the second part of this work. Here he gave the "Preface" to the entire "Great restoration of Sciences", which contained the entire plan with a brief description of the ideas that will be incorporated into each of the six parts.
The first part of the work - a review of existing sciences. The second - a treatise on the new inductive method of scientific research, which served as a means of further development of Sciences ("New Organon"). The third part - "Natural History" - covered the phenomena of the world, that is diverse experience, which should form the basis of the theory. In the fourth part Bacon intended to give examples of studies according to the new method. The fifth part should contain the theory, developed by the old speculative method, which apply only temporarily - to their inspection and replacement with new - on the basis of facts and true method. Finally, the sixth part should consist of scientific knowledge, developed on the basis of experience, proven strictly scientific method.
In the "New Organon" Bacon noted the contradiction between the state of science (theory) and technology (practice). The first expresses exciting general provisions, but is full of contradictions in the details and the its progress is not visible. In Crafts (technique) the opposite is true: they are growing day by day and improving. Bacon criticized the medieval scholastic logic, called it an empty exercise. The science of discovering and inventing new and logic should be the logic of inventions and discoveries. Aristotelian logic set forth in the "Organon", was not suitable. Therefore, Bacon wrote "New Organon" which, according to the author, had to replace Aristotle's "Organon".
Medieval scholastics all the attention paid to the formal correctness of syllogisms and left aside the main thing - test the findings of the syllogism with life. If Aristotle fought against sophistry - false conclusions derived by reasoning, that Bacon proclaimed the need to combat "idols" (ghosts) that distort reality and prevent the knowledge of the truth. There are four such idols, according to Bacon: idols of family, caves, market and theater.
At the heart of "idols kind" there is inherent to all human beings a desire to consider the nature by analogy with itself (in particular, to seek purpose in nature). "The idols of the cave" are due to the dependence of knowledge on individual characteristics, physical and mental properties, as well as restrictions on personal experiences of people. "The idols of the market or area" are generated by uncritical attitude towards common opinion and misuse of words. "The idols of the theater" are based on blind faith in authority and traditional dogmatic system.
But there it is not enough to get rid of the idols. This is just the beginning. It is necessary to give the human mind weapon - a method of knowledge that leads to the truth. This method, according to Bacon, is the induction, which teaches how to gradually go from the facts to the general provisions. Induction should be based on observation and experiment. By induction Bacon thought to find the substantial form of things, that is the last reason for the properties of things.
Bacon thought the senses as the foundation of knowledge. But not more. He criticized the empiricists that look like an ant - only collect facts in their path. Dogmatists or rationalists were like spider – produce a web of thoughts out of your mind. The true scientist takes the example of bees - produces nectar from the garden and wild flowers and turns it into honey through their own abilities.
Bacon shared all sciences according to the three faculties, which he attributed to the human mind. Memory is the basis of history, imagination corresponds to poetry, the mind is the source of philosophy, which he shared on the teachings of God, of nature and of man. To the science of nature Bacon attached the importance. He divided it on a theoretical (the reasons) and practical (what works). Theoretical science includes physics, studying acting and material reasons, and metaphysics has as its object the formal and final cause (virtually no role in his teachings do not play). Bacon considered mathematics auxiliary science in relation to physics.
Bacon called philosophy to serve the creation of "hand tools" that govern human nature, and "tools of the mind" that organize and direct human cognition. He declares knowledge of force, the ability to build on solid bases the power of man, to expand the boundaries of her power over nature.
Bacon recognized the possibility of true knowledge as accurate image of being. He ridiculed the skeptics, "pay impotence of their science in libel against nature", but considered it necessary to doubt that shatters the false teachings and prejudices.
The philosophy of Bacon had a tremendous impact on the further development of science and philosophy, facilitated the formation of materialism of Hobbes, Locke's sensationalism and his followers. Logical method of Bacon became the basis for the development of inductive logic, especially in Dzh.S.Mill. Bacon's appeal to the experimental study of nature became the impetus for the natural science of the XVI century and was instrumental in the creation of associations of scientists (eg, Royal Society of London). The French enlighteners used classification of Sciences Bacon.
Important ideas of Bacon had to pedagogy. He put forward the principle that the purpose of education - not possible accumulation of more knowledge but the ability to use the methods of its discovering. In theory of the pedagogy ideas of Bacon influenced Descartes, Spinoza, Hobbes, Comenius, Rousseau, Helvetius, Diderot.
In the "New Atlantis" Bacon described the ideal university the core academic work which is a scientific research and discovery.