Defoe and the New SciencesCambridge University Press, 9 mars 2006 - 196 pages In his long career as a writer Daniel Defoe never tired of advocating the value of personal observation and experience; and he never wavered in his conviction that it is man's God-given duty to explore and make productive use of nature. In this first major study of Bacon's legacy to Defoe Ilse Vickers shows that the ideas and concepts of Baconian science were a significant influence on Defoe's way of thinking and writing. She outlines the seventeenth-century intellectual milieu, and discusses the prominence of Defoe's teacher Charles Morton among major Baconian thinkers of the century. She goes on to consider a wide range of Defoe's work, from the point of view of his familiarity with the ideals of experimental philosophy, and throws new light on the close link between his factual and his fictional works. In the process Vickers reveals a new Defoe: not only a thorough Baconian, but also a far more consistent writer than has hitherto been recognised. |
Table des matières
The legacy of Francis Bacon 98 | 9 |
The selective takingup of Bacons ideas biographical | 18 |
Charles Morton and the New Sciences | 32 |
Daniel Defoe and the Baconian legacy | 55 |
its relation to the | 81 |
mans progressive dominion over nature | 99 |
Defoe the travellerscientist | 132 |
a natural history of man and his activities | 151 |
Appendix | 177 |
193 | |
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advice argued Arts and Sciences Bacon Bacon's philosophy Baconian History Baconian Puritan Baconian scientists belief Boyle's Catalogue century Charles Morton Commerce Compendium compleat concerning Crusoe's Dampier Daniel Defoe Defoe writes Defoe's teacher describes direct Discourse discovery discussion Dissenters Dury Earth Edmund Gibson England English Essays Evelyn experience experimental philosophy experimental science experimental scientists fact fictional Gentleman Gibson's give Hartlib histories of nature History of Arts History of Trade Hooke ideas Improvements indebtedness inventions John Dury John Evelyn John Wilkins knowledge language learning lectures London mankind Manufactures method mind Morton's Academy Narborough natural history Newington Green observations Oxford Petty Petty's Philosophical Transactions plain principles prose Puritan recorded referred reform reports Robert Boyle Robert Hooke Robinson Crusoe Rogers Royal Society Samuel Hartlib scheme scholar scientific Society's Sprat Storm style things thought traveller traveller-scientist truth University Voyage weather Wilkins's Woodes Rogers words World