audio record
Media not available in the Digital Archive
Description
Dr. Goodman speaks about Francis Bacon's contribution to the reform of scientific knowledge.
Metadata describing this Open University audio programme
Module code and title: A201, Renaissance and Reformation
Item code: A201; 35
Recording date: 1972-02-28
First transmission date: 21-10-1972
Published: 1972
Rights Statement: Rights owned or controlled by The Open University
Restrictions on use: This material can be used in accordance with The Open University conditions of use. A link to the conditions can be found at the bottom of all OUDA web pages.
Duration: 00:18:15
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Producer: Nick Levinson
Contributors: Gavin Campbell; David Goodman
Publisher: BBC Open University
Keyword(s): Novum Organum; Scientific research; Solomon's house
Footage description: Dr. Goodman speaks about Francis Bacon's contribution to the reform of scientific knowledge. He examines Bacon's reasons for rejecting both ancient and contemporary scientific methods, and illustrates Bacon's own prescriptions for an empirical 'investigation of Nature', as outlined in his Novum Organum (1620), taking his study of the nature of heat as an example. Dr. Goodman then examines Bacon's plans for the sponsoring and organisation of scientific research, as suggested by the fable of 'Solomon's House' in the New Atlantis (1627) and the influence of this work on the establishment of the Royal Society (1662) and the Academie Royale des Sciences (1666). Finally, Dr. Goodman assesses Bacon's place in the history of science as a whole and weighs his shortcomings, the most serious being the neglect of mathematics, against his greatest contribution, his insistence upon empirical procedures.
Master spool number: TLN09FM226J
Production number: TLN09FM226J
Available to public: no