The novum organum scientiarum : in two parts / By Francis Bacon ... Carefully corrected, and the Latin part translated into English, with an appendix, by Dr. Shaw.

Bacon, Francis, 1561-1626.

Date:: 1813

Credit: The novum organum scientiarum : in two parts / By Francis Bacon ... Carefully corrected, and the Latin part translated into English, with an appendix, by Dr. Shaw. Source: Wellcome Collection.

21/200 (page 13)

$tlifc fictitious narrative is neater, more elegant and pleasing, than the Irue history* , . , . , ^ P r 2. In general, philosophy receives much matter lrom a iew parti- culars, or else but little 1'rom many; so that, in both cas^s, it is founded on too nanow a basis of experiende andnatural history, and pronouneea from too-little knovvledge.f 3. (].) The rational tribe of philosophers hastily take up vulgar tliings from experienee, withnut finding them to be certain, or eareftilly examining and weighing them ; and conamit ali the rest of the vvork to thought, and the diseussion of the wit.J: 4. (2.) Another kind of philosophers labour, witli great diligence and accuracy, in a few experiments, and thence venture to deduce and build up philosophies ; and strangely wrest tvery thing else to these experiments. || 5. (3.) Lastly, there is a kind of such as mixtheology, and tradition* * § of faith and worship, with their philosophy ; and the vanity of sorae among them has turned aside, to derive the Sciences from spirits and angels ;§ so that the origin of errors, and false philosophy, is of ihree kinds ; viz. 1. sophistical; 2. empirical; and, 8. superstitious.** 6. We have an eminent example of the fir*t kind in Aristotle, who corrupted natural philosophy with his logic, in forming the world of ca- tegories or predicaments, passing over the business of rarifaction and condensation with the jejune distinction of act and power, asaerting but one proper motion to all bodies, and imposing numerous .other fjetions, ut his own pleasure, upon the nature of tliings, being all along more solicitous how men miglit defend themselves by answers, aiid advance something that shonld be positive in words, than Io come at the inward truth of nature.ft This will appear to the fui 1, by comparing the philosophy of Aristotle with the other philosophies, that were cele- brated among the Greeks. For the Homoiomera ol’ Anaxagoras, the Atoms of Leucippus and- Democritus, the ldeaven and Earth of Par-» menides, the Enmity and Amity of Empedocles, the Resolution of }lodies into the neutral Nature of Fire, with their return to density, according to Heraclitus, all savour somewhat of natural philosoph} and experienee; whereas both the physies, and metaphyses, of Aristotle, *pealc little more than logical ternis. Ii is true, his Books of Animal?, Problems, and other pieces make frequent use of experiments; but then he had lirst pronounced' without their assistance, and did not duly1 consuit experienee in forming his decrees and Axionis; but aftgr he * Thus the Cartcsian philosophy is more agreeable to read than the Newtonian. + Commonly in the way of the vulgar Ipduction abo\c-mentioned, Apk. 17. + See more of this below, Aph. 63. || See below, Aph.6i. § 1 hus, iri particular, chemistry and natural magic have been thought derived fronj Jtngels and spirits. ** Sec below, /iph.65. As our educatiop in Europe is chiefly Aristotelian, we should have a striet watch upon ourselves in all philosophieal inquiries, writings, and discourses, that we are not was i^H ArJStA0,cl,an,aC'iorV5- 11 shoul<1 s«m as if all.our common reasoning ther hanSrTa A?,0,el'a.n Fejudices, so as to he affectedly logical and captious. ra- after JJa 77 d Ph,losoPh,cali or fw ™d bfon the uue natuic of ihiogs. See here*$