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Definition: Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a British philosopher whose work as vital to the development of the British empiricist tradition, influencing Locke, Hume, Mill and Russell. Bacon's thinking was very practical and utilitarian in nature, although he seems to have been pessimistic as to whether or not human progress was really possible.
At least on the surface, Bacon professed allegiance to Christianity and belief in Christian doctrines, but it is uncertain as to whether or not that was really his true position. Regardless, in his efforts to dethrone scholasticism, he argued for a complete separation of reason and revelation (as part of a general separation of reason from personal interest, social conventions, human passion, etc.). Bacon believed that this separation would facilitate the development of science, and he was right. But, once widely adopted, it also lead to the eventual separation of church and state, religion and morality, and more. Thus, Bacon's philosophical work was an important foundation for modern, rationalistic, skeptical atheism.
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Related Resources:
Logic and Skepticism...
What is an argument? What is an explanation? What are logical fallacies? Learn more about all of these topics and improve your debating and critical thinking skills...What is an Argument?
It helps to know what, exactly, an argument is before you can critique one and tell what is wrong with it. Sometimes, people say they are making arguments when they are not!How do you critique an argument?
Assuming that we have established that we have an actual argument, the next step is to examine it for validity. There are two points on which an argument might fail: its premises or its inferences.What is a Fallacy?
Fallacies are defects in an argument - other than false premises - which cause an argument to be invalid, unsound or weak. By understanding what fallacies are, you can avoid making them and more easily detect them in the work of others.Index of Fallacies
Known logical fallacies listed in categories and explained as to why they are defects in arguments as opposed to valid reasoning. Examples are included so that you can better see what is happening.
