Monday, January 25, 2010
Human Nature and Christianity
It seems to me that after reading Book One, Bacon gives his readers a fairly-definite view of human nature. Looking at the goal of science, we see that Bacon says: "I who make such frequent mention of works and refer everything to that end" (117). It seems clear that the goal of science is to produce works and that the goal of works is to increase humanities powers and abilites over nature: The true and lawful discovery goal of the sciences is none other than this: that human life be endowed with new discoveries and powers" (81) or "My purpose is to... extend more widely the limits, of the power and greatness in man" (116). Aside from this evidence we can see that Bacon thinks nature in the hands of man natuarally leads to growth and progress as if this is the type of thing that should happen with humans. In aphorism 74 Bacon says that what is founded on the womb of nature will continue to grow and draw nourishment from nature. This can be oddly contrasted to his bug illustrations (which I am using to prove a point far different than what Bacon intended with them). In aphorim 95 Bacon talks about ants, bees, and spiders all doing different types of work. If one thinks about these animals, however, it is curious to note that all the work of these animals and pretty much all animals is work of subsistance. Ants, bees, and spiders all do work to build shelters and feed themselves, but not much more. Humans, on the other hand, have the task of constantly expanding their own powers. This is different than the other animals. The place that Bacon gets this from is his Christianity. In the last pragraph of aphorism 129 he says that man should recover his "right over nature, which belongs to it by divine bequest, and let power be given to [the human race], the exercise thereof will be governed by sound reason and true religion". This clears up (and simultaneously causes problems for) Bacon's view of human nature. God gave nature to man for man to rule over. Despite, all the Bible-verses Bacon uses to testify to his ideas it seems that one could bring up plenty of counter-examples. The two that come to mind are the Tower of Babel and the story of Cain and Abel. In the Tower of Babel humanity is punished for working together to make a name for themselves by reaching heaven in a tower. It seems to me that producing scientific works in which god's power in nature is subverted so that the greatness of humanity be extended is a parallel situation. Similarly in cain and Abel, Cain is punished by God for sacrificing his left overs after he had taken the best for himself. Again, Bacon's goal of science as making greater man's powers seems prallel to Cain. Bacon does not talk much of glorifying God with his reults only of uplifting man. If these things are true (and christianity only provides the appearance of a justification for the conquest of nature) then questions later asked by Nietzsche about why man wants power over things become much more relevant, as does any physchological/philosophical explanation of man's desire for power.
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Is this opposition between mastery and service in Christianity itself? Or is the appeal to mastery a sure sign that Bacon's new method, while appealing to Genesis, is not Christian in spirit?
ReplyDeleteBacon is entirely concerned with natural science for the end of giving man power over nature. In Genesis 1:28, God says to Adam (man) "...fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." This is the second thing that God tells man to do in the Bible, so it seems that it is pretty clear that mastery of the planet is man's God-given task. Since Bacon seems to think that knowledge is power, this seems entirely consistent with Christianity.
ReplyDeleteWhile Bacon does ground many of his aphorisms in his Christian beliefs, I do not think he would claim them as assumptions or first principles, merely the first of his many observations of natural history. For example, God created Nature, and gave man dominion over it, as Mr. Price pointed out. In my opinion Bacon would consider this one of the first observations of the particular, and not a higher axiom. In aphorism 93 he states "the beginning is from God," and he states in 89 that "natural philosophy is after the word of God at once the surest medicine against superstition."These statements are grounded in beginnings and specific ideas, and not generalities.
ReplyDeleteDr. Davis: The opposition between mastery and service is absolutely to be found in Christianity. There are however many different senses of mastery. He suggests that we master nature in order to "extend the power and greatness in man". This is the aspect that seems to me to be troublesome and downright sinful in much of the Bible.
ReplyDeleteMr. Price: I am not arguing that man is not superior to animal, but that is different than mastering nature in the way Bacon seems to dream. It seems to me that the works Bacon wants to see produced are a different type of mastery than man's ruling over plants for food or his dominion over living creatures. the nature that Bacon speaks of is far more vast in scope than plant and animal, and he wants to produce far more than food and shelter.
Mr. Stabenfeldt: Biblical creation is an article of faith. Whether or not he accepts them as "first principles" he attempts to back up his view of "man the progressor" with his implicit Christian notions.