Read complete books and articles on: Roger Bacon

Bacon, Roger - c.1214–1294?, English scholastic philosopher and scientist, a Franciscan. He studied at Oxford as well as at the Univ. of Paris and became one of the most celebrated and zealous teachers at Oxford. Bacon was learned in Hebrew and in Greek and stressed the value of knowing the original languages in the study of Aristotle and of the Bible. He may also have known Arabic; his own philosophy drew upon Arab Aristotelianism as well as upon St. Augustine. He had an interest far in advance of his times in natural science, in controlled experiments, and in the accurate observation of phenomena. "It is the intention of philosophy," he said, "to work out the natures and properties of things." He declared that mathematics was the gateway to science, and experience, or verification, the only basis of certainty. This belief in experience as a guide to the outer world was, however, not divorced from theology; wisdom and faith were to him one. His writings were numerous. Three of his most important works were written for Pope Clement IV in one year (1267–68)—the Opus majus (tr. 1928), the Opus minor, and the Opus tertium. He was deeply interested in alchemy, an interest that may account for his being credited by his contemporaries with great learning in magical practices. He was long credited with the invention of gunpowder (because of a formula for gunpowder that appeared in a work attributed to him). A manuscript in cipher, discovered in the 20th cent. and attributed to him, would make Bacon the first man to have observed spiral nebulae through a telescope and to have examined cells through a microscope; but considerable doubt has been cast on the original date and the authenticity of the manuscript. Earlier editions of his major works were supplemented by an edition of his hitherto unedited works in various fascicles by Robert Steele and others (1909–35).

See A. G. Little, ed., Roger Bacon Essays (1914, repr. 1972); biography by F. Winthrop Woodruff (1938); studies by T. Crowley (1950) and S. C. Easton (1952, repr. 1971).

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12 of the Best Books and Articles on: Roger Bacon

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1.

Roger Bacon and the Origins of Perspectiva in the Middle Ages: A Critical Edition and English Translation of Bacon's Perspectiva, with Introduction and Notes » Read Now
by David C. Lindberg. 418 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

David Lindberg presents the first critical edition of the text of Roger Bacon's classic work Perspectiva, prepared from Latin manuscripts, accompanied by a facing-page English translation, critical notes, and a full study of the text. Also included is an analysis of Bacon's sources, influence, and...
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David Lindberg presents the first critical edition of the text of Roger Bacon's classic work Perspectiva, prepared from Latin manuscripts, accompanied by a facing-page English translation, critical notes, and a full study of the text. Also included is an analysis of Bacon's sources, influence, and role in the emergence of the discipline of perspectiva.
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2.

The Age of Faith: A History of Medieval Civilization -Christian, Islamic, and Judaic - from Constantine to Dante: A.D. 325-1300 (Chap. VII "Roger Bacon: C. 1214-92") » Read Now
by Will Durant. 1196 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, History, Entire Library

...994 V. The Revival of Medicine 997 VI. Albertus Magnus 1003 VII. Roger Bacon 1006 VIII. The Encyclopedists 1015 Chapter XXXVIII. THE AGE OF ROMANCE: 1100-1300...
3.

Makers of Science: Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy (Chap. III "Roger Bacon") » Read Now
by Ivor B. Hart, Charles Singer. 324 pgs.

Collections: Entire Library

...ALEXANDRIA 33 III. ROGER BACON 52 IV. COPERNICUS...Mielot 57 23. Roger Bacon with a pupil taking observations...62 25. Diagrams of Roger Bacon to illustrate optics of lens...
4.

The Franciscans in England, 1224-1538 (Chap. IX "Roger Bacon") » Read Now
by Edward Hutton. 334 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Entire Library

...THE FRIARS 124 IX. ROGER BACON 135 X. JOHN DUNS...after his sickness that the Lord Roger of holy memory, Bishop of London...De Adv. Min. , coll. XI: Bishop Roger was Roger...
5.

The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind ("Apropos of Roger Bacon" begins on p. 8) » Read Now
by H. G. Wells. 454 pgs.

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...5 3. Apropos of Roger Bacon. 8 4. The Outline...adult mind. 3. Apropos of Roger Bacon This present revolt against...contemporary ideology, the figure of Roger Bacon in the...
6.

The Mediaeval Mind: A History of the Development of Thought and Emotion in the Middle Ages (Chap. XLII "Roger Bacon") » Read Now
by Henry Osborn Taylor. 621 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, History, Entire Library

...THOMAS AQUINAS 463 I. II. III. IV. V. VI. CHAPTER XLII ROGER BACON 514 CHAPTER XLIII DUNS SCOTUS AND OCCAM 539 CHAPTER XLIV THE MEDIAEVAL SYNTHESIS...
7.

Selections from Medieval Philosophers, Vol. 2 (1929) ("Roger Bacon (1210 or 1215-1294)" begins on p. 3) » Read Now
by Richard McKeon. 526 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

...MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS II ROGER BACON TO WILLIAM OF OCKHAM SELECTIONS FROM MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHERS II ROGER BACON TO WILLIAM OF OCKHAM EDITED...INTRODUCTION ix I. ROGER BACON...
8.

Philosophy in the Middle Ages: An Introduction (Chap. IV "The Intellectual Diversity of the Thirteenth Century: Robert Grosseteste and Roger Bacon, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas and His Time, Movements Outside of Thomism") » Read Now
by Paul Vignaux. 224 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, Philosophy, Entire Library

...teenth Century 69 IV. The Intellectual Diversity of the Thirteenth Century: Robert Grosseteste and Roger Bacon, St. Bonaventure, St. Thomas and His Time, Movements Outside...
9.

Roger Bacon on the Division of Statements into Single/Multiple and Simple/Composed, in The Review of Metaphysics » Read Now
by Thomas S. Maloney. 25 pgs.

Collections: Philosophy, Entire Library

...Roger Bacon on the division of statements into single...treatise on the property of terms. Thus when Roger Bacon is writing his Summulae dialectices around...few. (1) "La...
10.

Crusading Peace: Christendom, the Muslim World, and Western Political Order ("The Scientific Crusade: Roger Bacon" begins on p. 196) » Read Now
by Toma Mastnak. 406 pgs.

Collections: Religious Studies, History, Entire Library

"An outstanding work that successfully engages a historical phenomenon of major influence on our lives today and also looks into one of the more treacherous aspects of human thought and behavior... Mastnak shows, in a robust and convincing fashion, that the crusades and the peace movement were two...
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"An outstanding work that successfully engages a historical phenomenon of major influence on our lives today and also looks into one of the more treacherous aspects of human thought and behavior... Mastnak shows, in a robust and convincing fashion, that the crusades and the peace movement were two faces of the same coin and analyzes in compelling detail how this dynamic played itself out from the eleventh through the fourteenth centuries."--Michael A. Sells, author of "The Bridge Betrayed
"An enormously important contribution to understanding how Western Europe defined itself as Christendom and then acted on that understanding to shape new and hostile relations with other parts of the world."--Gabrielle M. Spiegel, author of "The Past as Text
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11.

Medicine in the English Middle Ages ("Roger Bacon and Medieval English Regimens of Health" begins on p. 53) » Read Now
by Faye Getz. 174 pgs.

Collections: History, Entire Library

This book presents an engaging, detailed portrait of the people, ideas, and beliefs that made up the world of English medieval medicine between 750 and 1450, a time when medical practice extended far beyond modern definitions. The institutions of court, church, university, and hospital--which would...
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This book presents an engaging, detailed portrait of the people, ideas, and beliefs that made up the world of English medieval medicine between 750 and 1450, a time when medical practice extended far beyond modern definitions. The institutions of court, church, university, and hospital--which would eventually work to separate medical practice from other duties--had barely begun to exert an influence in medieval England, writes Faye Getz. Sufferers could seek healing from men and women of all social ranks, and the healing could encompass spiritual, legal, and philosophical as well as bodily concerns. Here the author presents an account of practitioners (English Christians, Jews, and foreigners), of medical works written by the English, of the emerging legal and institutional world of medicine, and of the medical ideals present among the educated and social elite.How medical learning gained for itself an audience is the central argument of this book, but the journey, as Getz shows, was an intricate one. Along the way, the reader encounters the magistrates of London, who confiscate a bag said by its owner to contain a human head capable of learning to speak, and learned clerical practitioners who advise people on how best to remain healthy or die a good death. Islamic medical ideas as well as the poetry of Chaucer come under scrutiny. Among the remnants of this far distant medical past, anyone may find something to amuse and something to admire.
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12.

Medieval Psychology ("Roger Bacon's Account Of Vision" begins on p. 40) » Read Now
by Simon Kemp. 187 pgs.

Collections: Psychology, Entire Library

This book describes the psychological ideas current in medieval Europe. It aims partly to correct misperceptions about the nature of psychology in the Middle Ages; an important theme is the surprising unity and coherence of medieval psychology. Kemp outlines two major influences on medieval...
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This book describes the psychological ideas current in medieval Europe. It aims partly to correct misperceptions about the nature of psychology in the Middle Ages; an important theme is the surprising unity and coherence of medieval psychology. Kemp outlines two major influences on medieval psychology: Christian beliefs and the views of classical philosophers and physicians. He outlines medieval views on the nature of the soul and spirit, deals with medieval theories of perception, covers cognition and memory, and considers and evaluates Thomas Aquinas' account of emotion and will.
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