16. Francesco Bacone (Francis Bacon): vita e opere

Francis Bacon—I'll call him Bacon for simplicity's sake, even though his real name was Francis Bacon because he was a Londoner—was born in London in 1561, and his father was Queen Elizabeth's Keeper of the Seals. I tell you this because, from childhood, he was always involved with politics and power. In fact, after his studies, he decided to pursue a political career. During Queen Elizabeth's reign, his career didn't take off, but later, when James I Stuart ascended the throne, he began his rise to power, becoming Advocate General, Attorney General, Lord Keeper of the Seals like his father, and finally Lord Chancellor. In short, he truly had a fine career until one day he was accused of corruption, that is, of having received money for favors he had granted while Lord Chancellor. And Bacon pleaded guilty to corruption and had to pay a large sum of money, but that wasn't all. He was stripped of all his positions and imprisoned in the Tower of London until the king released him, but obviously his political life was over with this corruption scandal. Bacon died in 1626. Let's get to know Bacon a little better. Bacon is described as an ambitious man, thirsty for power, fame, and money, and unscrupulously pursuing them. A man who believed that science was at the service of man, so that he could understand nature and master it. Science thus becomes at the service of man, to achieve his goals of power and dominion over nature. And he speaks of this in his most famous work, The New Atlantis, which was published a year after his death, in 1627. Drawing inspiration from Thomas More's utopian novel Utopia, it tells of an unknown island that is a vast laboratory where experiments are conducted, which, as we will later see, form the basis of his scientific concept. Bacon is also remembered for his project to create an encyclopedia of the sciences, which he discusses in "On the Dignity and Growth of the Sciences," where he divides the sciences into three categories: 1. Sciences based on memory, which include natural, civil, ecclesiastical, and literary history. 2. Sciences based on imagination, which include all poetic works, narrative, dramatic, and parabolic poetry. 3. Sciences based on reason. Here we are talking about philosophy, which Bacon elevated as a scientific discipline based on reason and consisting of two parts: 1. First philosophy, which studies axioms, or the principles common to all sciences. 2. Special philosophy, which is divided into divine, natural (with physics, metaphysics, etc.), and human (of the body and soul). Bacon never completed this very ambitious project, but of particular importance is certainly the New Organ, published in 1620, which we will discuss in the next episode. Subscribe to my channel, if you haven't already, to stay up to date with my videos. Also, visit my website by clicking the link in the description, and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. See you soon. Dr. Laura Pirotta, clinical psychologist. ============================================================ Subscribe to my channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8cR... Visit my website: http://laurapirotta.com Follow me on Instagram:   / dott.laurap.  . Follow me on Facebook:   / catego.  . You can also find me on LinkedIn:   / laurapiro.  . #philosophy #psychology #laurapirotta #bacone