About the Book
In the early 1600s, Francis Bacon transformed the world as we know it. For many centuries, populations had been subject to plague and famine on a scale difficult to imagine today, with little idea of their causes. In arguing that nature could be understood and systematically put to human service, Bacon changed the course of history, saving and improving countless lives. But his life and the repercussions of his work are mixed. Though much admired, he is difficult to understand. Was he a devout Christian? A Machiavellian political schemer? An unparalleled visionary? Was he the father of modern science, or merely its cheerleader? In this engaging critical work, Innes provides a compelling Reformed analysis of a complex man's complex legacy.
About the Author :
David C. Innes (PhD, Boston College; MDiv, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary) is professor of politics and chairman of the program in politics, philosophy, and economics at The King's College.
Review :
"David C. Innes gives an insightful analysis of the sixteenth-century thinker Francis Bacon, whose vision was foundational to the rise of empirical science and technology. Indeed, Baconianism has become part of the very intellectual air we breathe, which is why it is crucial for Christians to think critically about Bacon's influence--both on Western culture and on our own thinking. Innes skillfully disentangles the elements in Bacon's thought that are compatible with biblical truth (he did, after all, work within a largely Christian intellectual milieu) from the elements that are contrary to biblical truth, and therefore destructive both personally and socially. That is not an easy job because Bacon often obfuscates to hide his more secular ideas from the uninitiated. Innes is a reliable guide, and this book will be especially helpful to readers concerned about how science and technology have shaped the modern worldview."--Nancy R. Pearcey, Professor of Apologetics and Scholar-in-Residence, Houston Baptist University; author, Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity; coauthor, The Soul of Science: Christian Faith and Natural Philosophy
"Fascinating study of the controversial role played by Francis Bacon in fashioning the worldview of modern science. While keenly appreciating the many benefits of science and technology, Innes probes the darker side of Bacon's thought that helped give rise to a scientific enterprise largely unbound by moral restraint. Subtle, provocative, and exquisitely relevant to our current culture."--John G. West, Vice President, Discovery Institute; editor, The Magician's Twin: C. S. Lewis on Science, Scientism, and Society; author, Darwin Day in America: How Our Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science
"Francis Bacon is a key figure in introducing a new way of thinking about the world, at the heart of which is optimistic reliance on scientific method. David Innes has given us a nuanced, thoughtful, and critical introduction to Francis Bacon, in his life and thought. His book moves from Bacon's views to assess the larger issues about science and its dominating role in modern aspirations for knowledge, power, and happiness. I heartily recommend the book as a path for rethinking the role of science from a Christian point of view."--Vern S. Poythress, Professor of New Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary; author, Redeeming Science: A God-Centered Approach
"Francis Bacon is an excellent brief introduction to Bacon's revolutionary project. David Innes gets it: Bacon's innovative experimentalism; a new hope for worldly progress dissembled under a pseudo-Christianity; a 'total reconstruction' of knowing and arts extending to morals, politics, and especially religion. Innes chronicles all this in short and lively sentences peppered with original observations and conveying serious scholarship. He addresses the contemporary underestimation of Bacon, entertains alternative views (while overawed by none), acknowledges obvious benefits of modern science, and corrects the prevailing translations. Besides, Innes is seriously moral and devout. He raises difficulties with the value-relativism of scientism and the distractions and temptations of the technological outlook--difficulties that beset us all."--Robert K. Faulkner, Research Professor, Boston College; author, Francis Bacon and the Project of Progress
"Historians of culture and of science know Francis Bacon as a key figure in the transition from the medieval to the modern period. Many idealize (or even idolize) him, and some demonize him, generally for the same thing--his philosophy of science that has become dominant in the English-speaking world (ostensibly a Christian approach to science). Here Dr. Innes provides us with a study of the man's own writings that shows both appreciation and incisive critique; he especially helps us to see how Bacon's approach--whatever positive things we may say about it--contributed to the secularization of the Western world, and thus to its dehumanization. He also opens the way for a more genuinely Christian and humane philosophy of science. For all this I thank Dr. Innes!"--C. John Collins, Professor of Old Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary; author, The God of Miracles: An Exegetical Examination of God's Action in the World and Science and Faith: Friends or Foes?
"More than merely 'the herald of modern philosophy, ' as some have dubbed him, Francis Bacon was really the chief architect of modernism, with its scientism and resultant technological society. David Innes reveals how this is so in a clear and compelling way in his new volume on Bacon in P&R's Great Thinkers series. Innes notes in the very first paragraph of his work that 'we live in Bacon's world. He planned it all, and we participate unwittingly in his grand project.' Thus he motivates this insightful exploration and critique of Bacon's great project of reconstructing all learning and society on the foundation of his new empirical scientific methodology. As the exploration unfolds, we discover underneath the veneer of Christianity in Bacon's work the subtle but potent subversion and domestication of Christianity to serve the purposes of Bacon's very this-worldly vision. Innes proves to be an excellent guide, charitably appreciative of the good and true in Bacon's work and at the same time incisive in his criticism of what is in fact inimical to the Christian faith. He connects the dots to our own time, showing how the world in which we live today has been significantly shaped by Bacon's original vision. He drills down to Bacon's presuppositions, exposing the source of Bacon's subversive project. And he gives wise advice for faithful Christian engagement with Bacon's thought and its influence in our society, including a blueprint for developing a godly science. This book will be a blessing to both the church and the academy in the world of Bacon's grand project. I highly recommend it to all who long for the advancement of the kingdom of God."--John Wingard, Professor of Philosophy and Dean of Humanities, Covenant College
