Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention
In this article, I examine how Bacon is able to justify his promise that the new way he proposes to follow in science is fruitful. I show that such a promise makes sense only if Bacon does not claim that he totally rejects past philosophy. If this were the case, then even the bare possibility of kno...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Presses universitaires de Rennes
2014-10-01
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| Series: | Revue LISA |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/6285 |
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| author | Luc Peterschmitt |
| author_facet | Luc Peterschmitt |
| author_sort | Luc Peterschmitt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, I examine how Bacon is able to justify his promise that the new way he proposes to follow in science is fruitful. I show that such a promise makes sense only if Bacon does not claim that he totally rejects past philosophy. If this were the case, then even the bare possibility of knowledge could not be warranted and Bacon would be a mere sceptic. This leads me to reassess Bacon’s claim to novelty and rupture with past philosophers. I take such a claim to be mainly a rhetorical strategy aiming at preventing men from being satisfied with their present knowledge. In its turn, such a strategy implies that progress must be infinite and that it is impossible to determine completely a priori the way that must be followed to produce new knowledge. One can give but indications, which may always be improved, according to the progress of knowledge. In this sense, it is not possible to foresee progress : nobody can tell what knowledge will be. That is why one may say that Bacon’s philosophy aims at setting invention free. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-23eb0832bef846bc891d5ca5ed12ef88 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1762-6153 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2014-10-01 |
| publisher | Presses universitaires de Rennes |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revue LISA |
| spelling | doaj-art-23eb0832bef846bc891d5ca5ed12ef882025-01-06T09:02:48ZengPresses universitaires de RennesRevue LISA1762-61532014-10-011210.4000/lisa.6285Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’inventionLuc PeterschmittIn this article, I examine how Bacon is able to justify his promise that the new way he proposes to follow in science is fruitful. I show that such a promise makes sense only if Bacon does not claim that he totally rejects past philosophy. If this were the case, then even the bare possibility of knowledge could not be warranted and Bacon would be a mere sceptic. This leads me to reassess Bacon’s claim to novelty and rupture with past philosophers. I take such a claim to be mainly a rhetorical strategy aiming at preventing men from being satisfied with their present knowledge. In its turn, such a strategy implies that progress must be infinite and that it is impossible to determine completely a priori the way that must be followed to produce new knowledge. One can give but indications, which may always be improved, according to the progress of knowledge. In this sense, it is not possible to foresee progress : nobody can tell what knowledge will be. That is why one may say that Bacon’s philosophy aims at setting invention free.https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/6285inventionprogressmethodBacon FrancisnoveltyDemocritus |
| spellingShingle | Luc Peterschmitt Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention Revue LISA invention progress method Bacon Francis novelty Democritus |
| title | Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention |
| title_full | Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention |
| title_fullStr | Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention |
| title_short | Bacon et la méthode : la libération de l’invention |
| title_sort | bacon et la methode la liberation de l invention |
| topic | invention progress method Bacon Francis novelty Democritus |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/lisa/6285 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lucpeterschmitt baconetlamethodelaliberationdelinvention |