Selected Works of Bacon

Author: Ouyang Qian
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: Francis Bacon was an outstanding thinker, politician, philosopher, and writer in 17th-century England. He was born on January 22, 1561, in London to a family of ten officials. He studied at Trinity College, Cambridge. At the age of fifteen, he served in Paris as a secretary to the British ambassador and later held positions such as Royal Legal Advisor, Chief Prosecutor, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Lord Chancellor. In 1621, he was dismissed for corruption charges and withdrew from official life, dedicating himself to writing at home. In 1626, he died of a cold during an experiment in cryopreservation. Bacon aspired to completely reconstruct human knowledge and planned to write a monumental work titled The Great Instigation. He only completed two parts of this plan: The Advancement of Learning and Novum Organum. Additionally, his major works include The Wisdom of the Ancients and New Atlantis. Bacon's most representative literary work is his Essays. When first published in 1597, it contained only ten essays. The 1612 edition expanded to thirty-eight essays, and the 1625 edition further increased to fifty-eight. The Essays cover a wide range of topics, including politics, economics, religion, love, marriage, friendship, art, education, and ethics, touching nearly every aspect of human life. The Essays are known for their concise language, elegant style, clear reasoning, and insightful aphorisms, making them popular among readers worldwide for centuries.