Aristotle to Bacon

Knowledge is power
Have you ever had a conceptual revolution? I mean
a 'Saul to Paul' - a blinding change in the way you
think and act. Suddenly the world looks different
your old ways of doing things become obsolete and
what you revered and held dear to your heart seems
like a dream a fairytale a !I"# $I'll never watch
another %isney movie again#$ you scream with new
determination. %o you feel better or worse? &aybe
you feel a little 'aded but stronger in the knowledge
that you'll never be duped again. (ou will be more
skeptical and more observant) no charlatan will ever
take your magic beans. (ou have to believe in
something but what? Suddenly deep-rooted
*uestions arise+ who has legitimate authority? ,(a# -hy am I listening to this teacher
anyways?. -hat is right and wrong? -hat is my place in the world? %ang# /onceptual
revolutions can be a lot of work.
0he focus of this lecture will be on the conceptual revolution that took place at the dawn
of the seventeenth century when long-held beliefs in /hristianity and 1ristotelian logic
started to show some cracks.
Morning Notes
I. %o you seek to understand things on your own terms? How so?
II. -hat are the bare bones of your philosophical system?
III. -hat does our education system encourage or discourage?
Preparation
I. 2eading+ 3eno's Parado4es
II. 2eading+ 5acon philosophical thinker
III. 2eading+ %escartes philosophical thinker
Key Terms
I. %eductive 6 Inductive 2easoning
II. 7reat /hain of 5eing
III. Skepticism
Focus Questions
I. -hat are some specific e4amples of 5acon's 8our Idols?
II. Provide proof that the senses are unreliable.
Lecture Guide
Aristotle
i. 1ristotle - the intellectual inheritance of the -estern -orld. He
lived from 9:; to 9<< 5/ and was born in 1thens. He was the
student of Plato and the teacher of 1le4ander the 7reat. =+ -hy
was 1le4ander was important spreading thought?
ii. He believed in the use of deductive reasoning as a scientific
model > eliminate options and whatever remains must correct. 0his
model was based on making assumptions to draw conclusions and
it provided answers to all-important *uestions. =+ Problems with
this type of reasoning? Infused and used with /hristianity > 7?% is the only e4planation
what else could it be?
iii. 1ristotle was the measuring-stick for all intellectuals during the 2enaissance. He
studied physics poetry music biology and mathematics >to be a 2enaissance man you
had to meet the standards established by 1ristotle. =+ discuss 0he 2enaissance as you
look back what would change during the Scientific 2ev.? 0oday?
iv. 0he 1ristotelian System provided a sense of coherence to e4plain all things under
7od's design and was the basis for secular education+
a. 1ll things strive for order
b. 1ll things strive for fulfillment of a purpose
c. 1ll things have a place in the 7reat /hain of 5eing ,from 7od to king to souls.
d. 0his was the official curricula of secondary schools and universities of -estern
"urope
Francis Bacon Seeing is Believing
i. 5acon > ,@AB@ - @B<B. and was born in !ondon "ngland. He was disappointed in the
limits of an 1ristotelian education. He respected the work of 1ristotle but found that
education had become merely scholars playing word-games with no real substance.
8rancis 5acon famously stated+ $knowledge is power$. =+ discuss this *uote and how it
is still relevant today.
ii. 1ristotle's collected works were known as the Organon ,instrument. and they made up
the core of education. 5acon wrote the Novum Organum > which simply means Cnew
instrumentD
ii. 5acon inspired by the power of invention ,gunpowder the compass and the printing
press had already been created. outlined a new vision for scientific thought.
iii. He separated the natural world from the divine. =+ why was this significant?
a. Eature can be understood by reason and 7od can be understood by faith ,0his is not
a criticism of religion. 5acon felt that Holy mysteries should be overcome by faith..
b. $&an being the servant and interpreter of Eature can do and understand so much
and so much only as he has observed in fact or in thought of the course of nature+
beyond this he neither knows anything nor can do anything.$
iv. 5acon believed that inductive rather than deductive reasoning should be used for
scientific methodology. Induction is the process of creating a general rule from our
observations if something cannot be observed one cannot draw conclusion. It is the
foundation of our scientific method. 1 simple e4ample of induction would start with an
observation+ $ice is cold$. 1nd lead to the creation of a rule+ $all ice is cold$.
v. 0est and form generaliFations - ?ur current emphasis on testing a hypothesis through
e4perimentation and observation is traced back to 5acon's insistence. 5acon warns us
of the limits of individual human reasoning. He drew our attention to the dangerous '8our
IdolsG which would hamper our efforts.
@. Idols of the 0ribe ,human nature.
<. Idols of the /ave ,personal bias.
9. Idols of the &arketplace ,language.
;. Idols of the 0heater ,tradition.
=+ discuss e4amples of these things > 7eorge 5ush and environment? /louding issues?
vi. He advocated for the development of a scientific community. 1 group of people could
pool their e4perience and keep each other on the right path. He believed that a genius
could work faster and take larger steps toward truth. 5ut if they worked alone they could
foolishly travel a great distance down the wrong path.
=+ significance is not a new philosophy but rather a better method of studying and
proving an answer.
ene !escartes " #$#m going to %igure t&is out %or mysel%#
i. %escartes - ,@AHB -@BAI. was born in 8rance. He abandoned
the study of law to pursue what he called the study of 0ruth. He
made significant contributions to mathematics ,particularly
calculus. and philosophy
ii. %escartes chose to build his knowledge up from pure logic. His
starting point was doubt. He doubted everything until he reached
the famous statement+ $I think therefore I am.$ ,-e cannot doubt
that we think.. He emphasiFed the importance of deduction because he believed the
senses are unreliable.
iii. He is criticiFed for his belief in a benevolent 7od to advance his philosophy.
@. Since 7od is good He would not want to deceive us.
<. 7od has given us 2eason for a reason+ to understand the world.