This Saturday, October 5
Text and Talk will focus on
Francis Bacon’s The Advancement of Learning
Heralded as one of the “fathers of science,” Francis Bacon argued that learning—the seeking of knowledge—was hindered because of the unfortunate, lingering inability to study things as they are rather than through the lens of inaccurate philosophic categories.
Dr. Ron Muller and LTS board member Bill Asbury will discuss Bacon’s emphasis on adopting an empirical standpoint, beginning with critical observation, in order to truly understand the world of nature. While Bacon argued that the scientific process would lead to the betterment of mankind, some have criticized his view that we should aim at the mastery of nature to achieve this improvement.
Join Text and Talk to discuss the following:
- Why did Bacon propose a reform in learning?
- Why was he “skeptical” about the state of natural philosophy which we call “science”?
- Was his aim really to achieve the betterment of mankind?
- Why did he speak about the “mastery of nature”?
- Was Bacon religious?