Wrestling with Proteus: Francis Bacon and the "Torture" of Nature

Peter D. Pešić

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Historical Philosophy and Science Renaissance Literature and Culture History of Science and Natural History

Abstract

Although many writers state that Francis Bacon advocated the torture of nature in order to force her to reveal her secrets, a close study of his works contradicts this claim. His treatment of the myth of Proteus depicts a heroic mutual struggle, not the torture of a slavish victim. By the "vexation" of nature Bacon meant an encounter between the scientist and nature in which both are tested and purified.

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