Essays of Francis Bacon

Bacon, Francis: - Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, lawyer, essayist, and one of the major intellectual figures of the early modern period. He served in public life under Elizabeth I and James I, eventually becoming Lord Chancellor, while also developing a wide-ranging body of writing on knowledge, method, politics, law, rhetoric, morality, and the advancement of learning. His philosophical work is associated with empiricism, inductive reasoning, and the reform of natural philosophy, making him a central figure in the intellectual history leading toward modern science.Bacon's literary reputation rests especially on his Essays, first issued in 1597 and later expanded into the fuller form by which they are best known. In these short prose pieces, he joined classical learning, political experience, moral reflection, and a brilliant gift for aphoristic expression. Works such as The Advancement of Learning, Novum Organum, New Atlantis, and the Essays show the range of his mind: practical, ambitious, reforming, and alert to the uses and dangers of knowledge. He remains important to readers of English literature, Renaissance prose, philosophy, political thought, science history, and the tradition of the essay.