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rrccssffeetteeaa@@yyaahhoooo..ccoommAbstract: The beginnings of modern philosophical thinking are to be found

in the 17th century. Besides the French philosopher Ren Descartes, the Englishphilosopher Francis Bacon brought a decisive contribution to the beginning ofthis new philosophical era. Francis Bacons concern was his desire to bring asubstantial contribution to the well-being of humankind. As part of the sourceshe drew from, mention should be made of the Ancient times, whose myths hereinterpreted and to which he gave new values.

Keywords: Francis Bacon, sources, ancient, modern philosophy, writings,science, nature.

In our pursuit of the sources of Bacons philosophy, we resorted to theauthors biography; sometimes the writings of an author are rooted in the authorslife. Nonetheless, it is absolutely true that, sometimes, it only purifies certainbiographical aspects or it acts in a compensatory manner. Through hisphilosophy, Francis Bacon aims to discover the condition of scientific andphilosophical knowledge, but he is not insensitive to the question of gainingknowledge about the human being. Bacons philosophical ideas took shape veryearly, and this is why his biography cannot help us to better understand how hisphilosophical ideas were formed, but only to understand his work.

Francis Bacon was a spirit concerned with the fulfillment of great projects.He was educated at Trinity College, at Cambridge University, in the spirit ofliberal arts, mainly applied to Aristotles texts. Feeling, probably, the need tobroaden his area of knowledge and to learn a more elaborate method, FrancisBacon left Trinity College. During his travels through France, he becameinterested in the reform of science and philosophy, which became an essentialaspect of his subsequent concerns11.

Francis Bacon was reserved before the innovating theories of his time and he Assistant Lecturer, PhD., - The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol

Davila, Bucharest. Associate Professor, PhD., - The University of Medicine and Pharmacy Carol

Davila, Bucharest.11 A. Posescu (ed.), Francis Bacon, The Wisdom of the Ancients, Ed. tiinific i Enciclopedic

Publishing House, Bucharest, 1976, p. 253.

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was not impressed with the various philosophical reevaluations and denials of thesubsequent theories. An excellent example is that of the Italian Giordano Bruno,whose Neoplatonism (as an anti-Aristotelian attitude) did not convince theEnglish philosopher. However, it gave him the idea of a new philosophy and, thus,it made him part of the revisionist trend of his times.

From the very beginning, Bacons ideas were concentrated on the humanbeing seen in his spiritual dimension. In his work, Of the Proficience andAdvancement of Learning, the philosopher wrote that a distinction should bemade between the role of science and the role of theology. The first one isconcerned with gaining knowledge about the aspects of the material world, thesecond one about divine nature. In the authors opinion, the prejudices createdby the intersection of the two domains only slowed down the process of evolutionand innovation22.

At the same time, in the works he published, Francis Bacon had the courageto challenge the thinkers of the Ancient times. They were guilty of disseminatingsome mistaken ideas: Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas (Posescu, 1976, p.243).

In the authors preface to the work De interpretatione naturae. Proemium,1653, Francis Bacon attempts to redress the errors of the past. The source of hisdissatisfaction, which he strongly underlined, lay in the injustice and the errorwhich persisted in the evaluation of the part played by some people in theevolution of history.

Truth is the fundamental criterion used by the English philosopher. FrancisBacon advocated the enlightenment of knowledge and the fair evaluation of theacts and the people who left their mark on history. He was a free and objectivespirit, who believed himself to be sufficiently learned in knowledge, so as not toallow himself to be fooled by the imposture of the ancients, nor to be seduced bythe enthusiasm of modern people.

The fundamental principle of Francis Bacons philosophical research is truth.Such truth arises from the conscience of having a duty to the fellow men amongwhom he lived. The examination of the truth, postulated in Bacons writings, is anattempt to break free from superstition and from whatever impeded the evolutionof the human spirit and society. However, Francis Bacon did not desire to lay thefoundations of a philosophical school. The axes of his philosophical thinking areindicated by three main categories: nature, science and man33.

He was interested in the composition of the world he lived in, as well as in themeaning of what was happening in the Universe. The philosopher thoughtfullyconsidered the primary causes of the surrounding world in the works Cogitationesde natura rerum and De principiis atqe originibus44. He believed in the existenceof some immutable laws of nature, being the supporter of determinism. FrancisBacon saw philosophy as a science dominated by physics, the most important of

22 J. Martin, Francis Bacon, the state and the reform of antural philosophy, CambridgeUniversity Press, 1992, p. 98.

33 A. Posescu, op.cit, p. 2044 G.W. Kitchin, (ed.), Francis Bacon, Of the Advancement of Learning, J.M. Dent & Sons

Publishing House, London, 1905, p. 87-88.

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all the sciences. In Bacons opinion, phylosophy was a science incorporating lawswhich belonged to other sciences and which could be used by it.

His concern for science constitutes a significant part of Bacons thinking. Inhis works he underlined the reproach made to his time for the precariousness ofscientific knowledge. In his novel, New Atlantis, Bacon anticipated some of theinventions which would be made only centuries later. The English philosophercontributed to the development of modern scientific thinking by approachingscience from a theoretical point of view. He considered objectivity as aprerequisite of truth. The utterance of such a truth in an era still under thedomination of religion represented a great act of courage from the philosopher.

Francis Bacon was interested in the human being, in the examination of hisessential, defining characteristic features. He formulated theories about theconnection between thought and speech, as well as about the independence ofmorals from religion. Nevertheless, being aware of the authority of religion, he didnot deny it.

Among the intellectual concerns of the young Francis Bacon, as he himselfconfessed in the Preface of the work De interpretatione naturae. Proemium, wasthe idea of offering the state distinct, renewing and fair things. Consequently, hedevoted himself to the study of public matters. His ambition to interpret natureoriginated from the uncertain situation in which the Church was at that time.

Bacons theoretical work can be summarized very well based on the authorsown underlining of his thinking in the respective preface. He wrote that hisintention was only to help the interpretation with the aim of finding renewingaspects whose seeds will spring in the honest, valuable geniuses who will be bornin the next centuries (Posescu, 1976, p. 240). Bacon intended only to lay thefoundation for the constructions which will be built by others.55

Bacon reinterpreted ancient myths. From their reinterpretation, the personaltheory of the English philosopher can be identified. Within these myths heinterspersed his own philosophical ideas. He broached questions of morals andpolitics. He did not hesitate to draw the attention on the errors existing in thescience of the ancients. The remaining difficulty is to mark the limit betweenBacons original ideas and those truly belonging to the ancients. Bacon intendedto bring back to life the events of the most Ancient times (the preface to TheWisdom of the Ancients 1619). He underlined the wisdom of the ancients from aperiod preceding the time when Greek philosphy flourished.

ConclusionFrancis Bacon can be considered one of the founders of modern philosophy

and science. His work had both negative and positive echoes. The religiousconservatives considered him an enemy, whereas others saw him as a spirit whobrought substantial renewal to the intelectual inheritance of modernity.

55 A. Posescu, (ed.), op.cit, p. 240.

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REFERENCESBacon, Sir Francis, (1986), The Wisdom of the Ancients [1619], Oxford

University Press.Kitchin, G.W., (ed.), (1905), Francis Bacon, Of the Advancement of

Learning, J.M. Dent & Sons Publishing House, London.Martin, J., (1992), Francis Bacon, the State and the Reform of Natural

Philosophy, Cambridge University Press.Posescu, A., (ed.) (1976), Francis Bacon, The Wisdom of the Ancients,

Bucharest, The Scientific and Encyclopedic Publishing House.