The 17th century scholastic textbook tradition and Francis Bacon’s natural philosophy

MANZO, SILVIA

Sydney

Conferencia; IV International Conference of the International Society for Intellectual History: ”The Origins of Modernity: European Thought 1543-1789”.; 2002

International Society for Intellectual History

Like many of his contemporaries Francis Bacon criticised the Aristotelian natural philosophy transmitted in his time according to the particular approach of the Scholastic textbook tradition. However, in spite of Bacon’s staunch opposition to this tradition, relevant Aristotelian patterns are to be found in his own view of nature. This paper tries to show some examples of the connection between Baconian natural philosophy and the Scholastic textbook tradition. At least two attitudes toward Aristotelianism are to be found in Bacon’s natural philosophy. I will expose one example of each attitude.