弗蘭西斯 培根

　　弗蘭西斯 培根，英國文藝復興時期最重要的散作家、哲學家。他不但在文學、哲學上多有建樹，在自然科學領域里，也取得了重大成就。培根是一位經歷了諸多磨難的貴族子弟，復雜多變的生活經歷豐富了他的閱歷，隨之而來的，使他的思想成熟，言論深邃，富含哲理。人們完全可以說弗朗西斯培根是一位真正的現代哲學家。他的整個世界觀是現世的而不是宗教的。他是一位理性主義者而不是迷信的崇拜者，是一位經驗論者而不是詭辯學者。在政治上，他是一位現實主義者而不是理論家。他那淵博的學識連同精彩的文筆與科學和技術相共鳴。

　　Francis Bacon

　　Francis Bacon , English philosopher and statesman, one of the pioneers of modern scientific thought. Bacon was educated at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. Elected to the House of Commons in 1584, he served until 1614. He wrote letters of sound advice to Elizabeth I, queen of England, but his suggestions were never implemented, and he completely lost favor with the queen in 1593, when he opposed a bill for a royal subsidy. He regained the respect of the court, however, with the accession of James I to the English throne in 1603. Bacon proposed schemes for the union of England and Scotland and recommended measures for dealing with Roman Catholics. For these efforts he was knighted on July 23, 1603, was made a commissioner for the union of Scotland and England, and was given a pension in 1604. His Advancement of Learning was published and presented to the king in 1605. Two years later he was appointed solicitor general.

　　In the last session of the first Parliament held under James I, the differences between Crown and Commons grew critical, and Bacon took the role of mediator, despite his distrust of Jamess chief minister, Robert Cecil, 1st earl of Salisbury. On Salisburys death in 1612, Bacon, in order to gain the kings attention, wrote several papers on statecraft, particularly on relations between Crown and Commons. In 1613 he was appointed attorney general.

　　In 1616 Bacon became a privy councillor, and in 1618 he was appointed lord chancellor and raised to the peerage as Baron Verulam. In 1620 his Novum Organum was published, and on January 26, 1621, he was created Viscount Saint Albans. In the same year he was charged by Parliament with accepting bribes. He confessed but said that he was heartily and penitently sorry. He submitted himself to the will of his fellow peers, who ordered him fined, imprisoned during the kings pleasure, and banished from Parliament and the court. After his release, he retired to his family residence at Gorhambury. In September 1621 the king pardoned him but prohibited his return to Parliament or the court. Bacon then resumed his writing, completing his History of Henry VII and his Latin translation of The Advancement of Learning . In March 1622 he offered to make a digest of the laws, with no further consequence despite repeated petitions to James I and Jamess successor, Charles I. He died in London on April 9, 1626.

　　Bacons philosophy emphasized the belief that people are the servants and interpreters of nature, that truth is not derived from authority, and that knowledge is the fruit of experience. Bacon is generally credited with having contributed to logic the method known as ampliative inference, a technique of inductive reasoning. Previous logicians had practiced induction by simple enumeration, that is, drawing general conclusions from particular data. Bacons method was to infer by use of analogy, from the characteristics or properties of the larger group to which that datum belonged, leaving to later experience the correction of evident errors. Because it addedsignificantly to the improvement of scientific hypotheses, this method was a fundamental advancement of the scientific method.

　　Bacons Novum Organum successfully influenced the acceptance of accurate observation and experimentation in science. In it he maintained that all prejudices and preconceived attitudes, which he called idols, must be abandoned, whether they be the common property of the race due to common modes of thought , or the peculiar possession of the individual ; whether they arise from too great a dependence on language , or from tradition . The principles laid down in the Novum Organum had an important influence on the subsequent development of empiricist thought.

　　Key words: philosopher statesman

　　弗蘭西斯 培根

　　弗蘭西斯 培根，英國文藝復興時期最重要的散作家、哲學家。他不但在文學、哲學上多有建樹，在自然科學領域里，也取得了重大成就。培根是一位經歷了諸多磨難的貴族子弟，復雜多變的生活經歷豐富了他的閱歷，隨之而來的，使他的思想成熟，言論深邃，富含哲理。人們完全可以說弗朗西斯培根是一位真正的現代哲學家。他的整個世界觀是現世的而不是宗教的。他是一位理性主義者而不是迷信的崇拜者，是一位經驗論者而不是詭辯學者。在政治上，他是一位現實主義者而不是理論家。他那淵博的學識連同精彩的文筆與科學和技術相共鳴。

　　Francis Bacon

　　Francis Bacon , English philosopher and statesman, one of the pioneers of modern scientific thought. Bacon was educated at Trinity College, University of Cambridge. Elected to the House of Commons in 1584, he served until 1614. He wrote letters of sound advice to Elizabeth I, queen of England, but his suggestions were never implemented, and he completely lost favor with the queen in 1593, when he opposed a bill for a royal subsidy. He regained the respect of the court, however, with the accession of James I to the English throne in 1603. Bacon proposed schemes for the union of England and Scotland and recommended measures for dealing with Roman Catholics. For these efforts he was knighted on July 23, 1603, was made a commissioner for the union of Scotland and England, and was given a pension in 1604. His Advancement of Learning was published and presented to the king in 1605. Two years later he was appointed solicitor general.

　　In the last session of the first Parliament held under James I, the differences between Crown and Commons grew critical, and Bacon took the role of mediator, despite his distrust of Jamess chief minister, Robert Cecil, 1st earl of Salisbury. On Salisburys death in 1612, Bacon, in order to gain the kings attention, wrote several papers on statecraft, particularly on relations between Crown and Commons. In 1613 he was appointed attorney general.

　　In 1616 Bacon became a privy councillor, and in 1618 he was appointed lord chancellor and raised to the peerage as Baron Verulam. In 1620 his Novum Organum was published, and on January 26, 1621, he was created Viscount Saint Albans. In the same year he was charged by Parliament with accepting bribes. He confessed but said that he was heartily and penitently sorry. He submitted himself to the will of his fellow peers, who ordered him fined, imprisoned during the kings pleasure, and banished from Parliament and the court. After his release, he retired to his family residence at Gorhambury. In September 1621 the king pardoned him but prohibited his return to Parliament or the court. Bacon then resumed his writing, completing his History of Henry VII and his Latin translation of The Advancement of Learning . In March 1622 he offered to make a digest of the laws, with no further consequence despite repeated petitions to James I and Jamess successor, Charles I. He died in London on April 9, 1626.

　　Bacons philosophy emphasized the belief that people are the servants and interpreters of nature, that truth is not derived from authority, and that knowledge is the fruit of experience. Bacon is generally credited with having contributed to logic the method known as ampliative inference, a technique of inductive reasoning. Previous logicians had practiced induction by simple enumeration, that is, drawing general conclusions from particular data. Bacons method was to infer by use of analogy, from the characteristics or properties of the larger group to which that datum belonged, leaving to later experience the correction of evident errors. Because it addedsignificantly to the improvement of scientific hypotheses, this method was a fundamental advancement of the scientific method.

　　Bacons Novum Organum successfully influenced the acceptance of accurate observation and experimentation in science. In it he maintained that all prejudices and preconceived attitudes, which he called idols, must be abandoned, whether they be the common property of the race due to common modes of thought , or the peculiar possession of the individual ; whether they arise from too great a dependence on language , or from tradition . The principles laid down in the Novum Organum had an important influence on the subsequent development of empiricist thought.

　　Key words: philosopher statesman