SPECIAL INTRODUCTION vii 



the author's attempt to present the phenomena of the universe 

 as data for induction, and corresponds in general to the third 

 part of the *' Great Instauration " as originally planned, the 

 first and second parts of the work as represented by the treatises 

 here published were the only parts which were carried to com- 

 pletion. The " De Augmentis Scientiarum " is a Latin version 

 of the " Advancement of Learning," though considerably ex- 

 tended and elaborated, and differing from the English work 

 in several minor points. 



The great English work, " The Advancement of Learning," 

 was published in 1605. It was the first great prose work on 

 a secular subject in the language, and well represents the vigor 

 of Bacon's thought and the wonderful power and charm of his 

 imagination, at the same time that it bears witness to the youth- 

 ful virility and flexibility of the English tongue. 



Bacon's object in this work was to show the necessity of 

 advancing knowledge, to justify learning by setting forth its 

 dignity and true value. In pursuance of this end, he describes 

 and classifies the existing sciences, showing, as he himself says, 

 " not only things invented and known, but likewise things 

 omitted which ought to be there." By exhibiting the defects of 

 the existing sciences, and showing the possibility of filling up 

 the gaps, he hoped to incite others to undertake the work. 

 He will ring the bell, as he puts it, to call the wits together. 

 Moreover, he feels it to be no small part of his duty to remove 

 the hindrances which have so long retarded the advance of 

 knowledge, and in particular to expose the pretensions of the 

 Aristotelian philosophy, which seem to him the source of so 

 much mischief. 



It was to emphasize his opposition to Aristotle, whose logical 

 works had long borne the general title of the " Organon," that 

 Bacon called the book in which he set forth his new method 

 the " Novum Organum." It was written in Latin, and ap- 

 peared in 1620. The gospel which he preaches in this work 

 is that it is the business of man to be the interpreter 

 of nature ; and, to this end, that he must turn from words to 

 a study of things, in order to discover nature's laws. Instead 

 of attempting to extract truth deductively by the employment 

 of syllogistic forms, one must employ induction, must sys- 

 tematically observe, experiment, and employ one's reason about 

 things and their mode of behavior. Moreover, in observing 



