Bacon and the Empiricists

1. Bacon and the Empiricists Daniela Rölz & Isabel von Ploetz SoSe 2004 Innovation, change and decision-making in international organisations

2. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

3. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

4. Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

5. Life & Political Career • 1561 Sir Francis Bacon was born in London • 1573 entered Trinity College in Cambridge • 1584 elected to Parliament • 1601 plot to kidnap Queen Elizabeth I

6. Life & Political Career • 1603 James I became king • 1604 Appointed King’s Counsel • 1618 Made Lord Chancellor • 1621 charged with bribery and prohibited from sitting in parliament • 1626 Francis Bacon died

7. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

8. Empiricism • Philosophical movement in the 18th century. • All knowledge comes from experience • ↔ Rationalism (17th century): knowledge comes from concepts known instinctively through reason; concepts = innate ideas (Descartes) • Empiricists: Francis Bacon, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, George Berkeley

9. Bacon`s new directions • Bacon is often thought as the originator of Modern Empiricism. • He wrote a radical new way for discovering truth. • people shouldn’t use the theories they had inherited

10. Bacon`s new directions • He was opposed to theories that come before the facts • We should start with observations and build our theories upon them • build knowledge on experience • knowledge shouldn't be built on little or unsystematic experience

11. The New Organon (1620) • „Novum Organum“ or „True Directions for the Interpretation of Nature“ • the Greek word organon means “instrument” or “tool” • new instrument for guiding and correcting the mind in its search for a true understanding of nature • Aphorism = short saying, referred just to the way he wrote

12. The Idols • “idols” are characteristic errors, natural tendencies or defects of the mind • prevent the mind from achieving a full and accurate understanding of nature • “idol” derives from the Greek word eidolon (which means “image” or “phantom”) • According to Bacon: Idols = prejudices of the mind • they prevent a successful study of natural phenomena

13. 1. Idols of tribe • prejudices arising from human nature • natural weaknesses like the senses (which are inherently dull and easily deceivable) • Bacon: we tend to find regularity where there is actually randomness, etc. • tendency towards “wishful thinking.” • natural preference to accept, believe, and even prove what we would prefer to be true • tendency to rush into conclusions, instead of collecting evidence

14. 2. Idols of cave • prejudices coming from psychic condition of the human soul • vary from individual to individual (unlike idols of tribe) • referring to our culture • reflect prejudices and beliefs that we have because of our cultural background (different family backgrounds, childhood experiences, education, training, gender, religion, social class, etc.)

15. 3. Idols of marketplace • prejudices resulting from social relationships • hindrances to clear thinking • main culprit = language (not only common speech, but also special discourses, vocabularies) • two types: • names of things that do not exist • faulty, vague or misleading names for things that do exist (abstract qualities and value terms such as “moist” or “useful,”) • can be a source of confusion

16. 4. The Idols of the Theatre • prejudices deriving from false philosophical systems • rather culturally acquired than inborn (like idols of cave) • metaphor of a theatre suggests artificial imitation of truth • Bacon: idols derive mainly from schemes or systems of philosophy (Sophistical, Empirical, Superstitious P.)

17. Induction • opposite: Deduction  Drawing a particular conclusion from a general premises • Induction: Drawing a conclusion based on your own experience • propositions: axiom: maxim

18. Induction (2) • problem: general axioms prove false, all the intermediate axioms may be false as well • Bacon: step by step from one axiom to another, so that the most general is not reached till the last each axiom = step up on “the ladder of intellect”

19. Induction (3) • Bacon: Induction is a lot more secure and scientific than deduction • necessary tool for the proper interpretation of nature • differs from the classic induction of Aristotle and other logicians: • they always wanted to draw general conclusions as soon as possible • general conclusion = basis for further work

20. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

21. The Idea of Progress • 1605 “The Advancement of Learning” – first important philosophical work • 3 Distempers of Learning: • fantastical learning • contentious learning • delicate learning

22. The Idea of Progress • Fantastical learning: • Could be called “pseudo-science” • Lack of real and substantial foundation • Professed by occultists and charlatans

23. The Idea of Progress • Contentious Learning: • Criticized Aristotelian philosophy • Aim: not new knowledge or deeper understanding, but endless debates

24. The Idea of Progress • Delicate Learning: • according to the revival of Ciceronian rhetorical embellishment • criticized preoccupation with words and style

25. The Idea of Progress • Expanded version of the Advancement • 3 categories for a new division of human knowledge: • History • Poesy • Philosophy • Prestige of Philosophy had to be elevated, • while that of history and literature (humanism) needed to be reduced.

26. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

27. Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Reference to the past (literary and philosophical) • Latin was universal language of philosophy • Since 1860 translation of his works in English • Bacon’s theory lost it’s semiotic foundation

28. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

29. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

30. Thomas Hobbes • He helped Bacon to write down his ideas, when Bacons‘ infirmities prevented him from doing it for himself. • After Bacon‘s death, he presented a theory of social science • based on careful observation  Baconian method of science

31. John Locke (1632-1704)

32. John Locke • Essay ”Concerning Human Understanding” (1690) • He was the first to give a logic for Empiricism. • Main interest: illuminating knowledge and examining its validity • Locke: attempt to prove everything by nature and fact (like Bacon)

33. John Locke • He denied that there are innate ideas. • Human intellect = clean sheet of paper • Everything which is written on it, takes its origin from experience • Experience: external (sensation) and internal (reflection)

34. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

35. Conclusion and Cultural Legacy • “Universal Genius” • political statesman and practical visionary • Many admirers (Kant, Voltaire) • controversial: Bacon’s view that nature exists mainly for human use and benefit

36. Bacon and the Empiricists • Francis Bacon, Life and political career • Bacon‘s new directions - Empiricism - The New Organon • The Idea of Progress - The Advancement of Learning • Bacon‘s science falls on hard times • Other empiricists: Locke, Hobbes • Conclusion • Discussion

37. Discussion • QUESTIONS???