The Political Philosophy of Francis Bacon

The Political Philosophy of Francis Bacon is a remarkable contribution to the study of modernity. Laurence Berns uniquely centers Bacon's thought on foreign policy, clarifying and deepening the great thinker and statesman's overall philosophy: the "Baconian project" of joining together knowledge and power in order to extend the bounds of human empire over nature.

In this posthumously-edited version of his dissertation, Berns reveals how Bacon understood his scientific-technological project to surpass both the classical thinkers and Machiavelli in wisdom and ambition. He gives clear accounts of both the many successes of Bacon's modern project, and the many problems that arise because of the increase in humanity's scientific-technical knowledge. For those interested in understanding the political philosophy of one of the founders of modern science, along with coming to terms with some of the philosophical problems associated with that science, Berns's book is indispensable