An anatomy of the essays of Francis Bacon: Pragmatism, Utilitarianism, Materialism and Moral or Religious perspectives Abstract: Francis Bacon, the father of English essays and the greatest intellectual figure in the sky of English literature, acts as an instructor and guides of his readers in his essays. His essays are the finest and fullest expressions of practical wisdom and the outcome of his personal experiences based on observation. Through the weapons of precepts, arguments, maxims, and proverbs, he touches every sectors of human life: political, social, domestic, and personal and then, persuades people to follow the right path to secure a high position and to face excruciating problems. In doing so, sometimes, he takes shelter under the shadow of morality and points out that our longing for good chances causes us to rise socially but decline morally and ethically; sometimes, he has belittled his morality to worldly success and benefit. All of his prescriptions for the betterment of human beings are supported by utilitarianism, pragmatism, and materialism. Simultaneously, his essays are pregnant with some aspects conform to moral and religious sides. This paper is designed to seek the answer of the questions- Is Francis Bacon either a …show more content…
He instructs and educates his readers for worldly success. Not only Francis Bacon acknowledges the value of mundane life but also he prefers morality in it to offer us to the best results, and acts as a savior to us. A celebrated scholar, and a professor of physiology and Head of the department of Clinical Sciences at the School of Medicine of Chicago University, Andrew C. Ivey (1988, quoted in Tabbarah, 1993, p.178) says: “The spiritual and moral sides in man’s life, besides his duties, are extremely important as far as his security and well-being are concerned.” In this connection, Francis Bacon displays his awareness
The topic of Bacon’s Rebellion has been heavily debated for centuries and is filled with much controversy. Bacon’s Rebellion, 1676-1677, was an uprising of the settlers in the colony of Virginia against the Natives and the governor (Rice 1). The settlers believed that the government was doing too little to protect them from Indian attacks. The leader of the rebels, Nathaniel Bacon, demanded a commission to fight the Natives and clashed with Governor Berkeley on several occasions when he was refused the commission (Stanard 75-80). Eventually, the tension became so intense that Bacon burnt Jamestown, the capital of Virginia (Rice 11).
Bacon's Rebellion- Bacon’s Rebellion took place in 1676. 1,000 freedmen took down an Indian revolt, torched Jamestown, and chased William Berkeley out of town (he was the governor). So What?
Bacon’s followers into rebellion. Frances Berkeley’s statement was witnessed and signed by Sir William, Sir Henry Chicheley, a member of the Council of State, the Reverend John Clough, rector of James City Parish, and Captain James Crews. The latter’s presence at Green Spring is puzzling.19 Crews had urged Bacon to take the illegal action of leading armed men against the Indians without a commission from Berkeley. He was executed at Green Spring in January 1677 for his part in the rebellion. Crews may have visited the Berkeleys after his election to the June Assembly, 1676, perhaps to try and bring about some resolution of the struggle between Berkeley and Bacon.
Bacon’s Rebellion was a historical event that demonstrated Nathaniel Bacon being a hero and left many short and long-term effects on the nation. Bacon’s rebellion happened in 1676 in Virginia in a time of unrest between the colonists and the Native Americans that lived there. Bacon rebellion was between Nathaniel Bacon and Governor William Berkeley. As stated in Bacon’s Rebellion by Jill Kauffman, it was over the “Indian policy on the colony’s frontier.” (1) Bacon had many reasons to lead a rebellion against Governor William Berkeley.
As the English tried to remake New Netherland into New York and the French attempted to transform New France, Maryland and Virginia experienced drastic changes. These contributed to, and were accelerated by, Bacon’s Rebellion a complex set of events in 1675–1676 that involved war between colonists and Indians as well as a civil war in which whites of every social rank and enslaved Africans joined to topple Virginia’s governor. By the early 1680s, Virginia resembled Barbados. It too had become a society dependent on slavery and founded on the principle of white supremacy. Bacon’s Rebellion remade Virginia’s borders and its politics.
Howard Zinn discussed the actuality of Colonial America, in which the wealthy handled poor whites, black slaves, and Native Americans as undesirables. Zinn’s thesis was the idea of plutocracy, government by the wealthy, controlling American society. Class lines hardened, distinctions between rich and poor became sharper. Wealth equated to power, slaves, and estate subsequently, fortifying their superiority over the disadvantaged. This inequality of wealth and power caused disapprobation among the impoverished populace and defiances such as Bacon’s Rebellion undertook.
In the prologue, President Obama states, “America was made by ordinary people; who kept their moral compass pointed straight and true when the way seemed treacherous, the climb seemed steep, and the future seemed uncertain” (Movie). However, as captivating as this statement is, America: The Story of Us - Episode One: Rebels presents United States history in a manner that largely avoids controversial or sensitive events and blurs the line between fact and fiction. Large portions of history, such as the effects of religion and elitist control, are exempted. These omissions significantly impacted the development of America, and shaped it into what it is today. This is all done in an attempt to generate profit and glorify the American story, resulting
The Tasks of Human Will and Reason In this paper I will be addressing the fundamental roles of human will and human reason, deemed by Petrarch, a Renaissance humanist. Francesco Petrarca, better known as Petrarch was a renowned but controversial philosopher and poet. Petrarch was a heavy influencer to the Medieval humanist movement and is considered to be one of the first contributors to the extensive trend. Renaissance humanism was a profound reaction to the flawed Medieval educational institution and impaired societal practices.
Enlightenment was a time of embracing logic and reasoning whilst rejecting untested beliefs and superstition. This time period occurred from the year 1694 until 1795. During this time writers used their medium of the written word to express their beliefs based on logic while denouncing old-world ideologies . During Enlightenment human nature was often put under scrutiny as thinkers strived to find what qualities resulted in the best possible human. In this piece of writing, the reader will be able to see the opinions of human nature held by three great thinkers from this time period: Voltaire, Jonathan Swift and Daniel Defoe.
Caleb Stephens April 15, 2017 Introduction to Philosophy The goal of this paper is to demonstrate that Philippa Foot’s objection, raised to her own argument against utilitarianism, is correct. Her initial thesis is that benevolence, while the foundation of utilitarianism, is an internal end of morality, rather than the ultimate end of morality. The possible objection to this that there must be some overarching reason behind morality, which must imply a form of consequentialism. The response she offers is that there should be some other form of morality, which is a weak argument, as it does not provide an alternate conception of morality itself.
Darwin and Bacon (The Analysis of the Concurrences between Darwin and Bacon) The anomaly that is the Earth works in strange ways, while failing to balance on one foot all one has to do is place one finger on the wall and you are safe from crashing to the ground. This phenomenon seems to suggest that all things are connected; however there is a delicate balance to be maintained. Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection proposes that there is a balance that allows for the life on Earth to maintain the equilibrium of evolution. On the other hand, Francis Bacon composed an idea of the levels of the mind called the four idols which obstructed the path for scientific reasoning and observation.
Ever thought about consuming a one-year-old baby with nice plump features? Most people will not consider such an immoral act; however, desperate times may force people to make difficult choices. This is the case in Dublin, Ireland in the late 1720’s. The attainment of human rights in the fullest sense cannot be achieved so long as hundreds of millions of poverty-stricken people lack the necessities of life. As a call to reform, Jonathan Swift wrote “A Modest Proposal.”
Modern philosophy developed alongside the Scientific Revolution and both influenced and affected each other. Therefore, many of the great early philosophers were also important scientists, and, unlike Bacon, so was Descartes. Thus even though both these men share points in common, they also have many differences, either in their backgrounds or in their way of thought. We will focus mainly on comparing and contrasting the methods used by both Bacon and
Suppose a conductor is driving his train and the breaks are defect. The rails lead directly into a cluster of five people who would all die if the train will go this direction. However, the conductor can change onto another track where only one person is standing hence only one person would die. How should the conductor react (Hare, 1964)? Is it possible to condense the problem to a rather simple maximization problem in example that the action is taken, which would kill the least people?
As per the reading suggested by the instructor about the philosophical idea of Consequentialism (Utilitarianism) given by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill and the other concept which is given by Immanuel Kant in the critics of Utilitarianism theory which is called Deontological Ethics. The reading given made understand about all these two concept and their possible application in the policy or law making like the universal law. Utilitarianism:- this is the concept used by Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and the John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). The core idea of this theory is the results comes from the action taken by the group of people or the individual. According to theory the outcomes will be judged weather the action was morally right or wrong.