Atlantis Essay, Research Paper

Francis Bacon was the founder of the modern

scientific method. The focus on the new scientific

method is on orderly experimentation. For Bacon,

experiments that produce results are important.

Bacon pointed out the need for clear and accurate

thinking, showing that any mastery of the world in

which man lives was dependent upon careful

understanding. This understanding is based solely

on the facts of this world and not as the ancients

held it in ancient philosophy. This new modern

science provides the foundation for modern

political science. Bacon’s political science

completely separated religion and philosophy. For

Bacon, nothing exists in the universe except

individual bodies. Although he did not offer a

complete theory of the nature of the universe, he

pointed the way that science, as a new civil

religion, might take in developing such a theory.

Bacon divided theology into the natural and the

revealed. Natural theology is the knowledge of

God which we can get from the study of nature

and the creatures of God. Convincing proof is

given of the existence of God but nothing more.

Anything else must come from revealed theology.

Science and philosophy have felt the need to

justify themselves to laymen. The belief that nature

is something to be vexed and tortured to the

compliance of man will not satisfy man nor laymen.

Natural science finds its proper method when the

’scientist’ puts Nature to the question, tortures her

by experiment and wrings from her answers to his

questions. The House of Solomon is directly

related to these thoughts. "It is dedicated to the

study of Works and the Creatures of God"

(Bacon, 436). Wonder at religious questions was

natural, but, permitted free reign, would destroy

science by absorbing the minds and concerns of

men. The singular advantage of Christianity is its

irrationality. The divine soul was a matter for

religion to handle. The irrational soul was open to

study and understanding by man using the methods

of science. The society of the NEW ATLANTIS

is a scientific society. It is dominated by scientists

and guided by science. Science conquers chance

and determines change thus creating a regime

permanently pleasant. Bensalem, meaning "perfect

son" in Hebrew, has shunned the misfortunes of

time, vice and decay. Bensalem seems to combine

the blessedness of Jerusalem and the pleasures

and conveniences of Babylon. In Bacon’s NEW

ATLANTIS, the need for man to be driven does

not exist. Scarcity is eliminated thereby eliminating

the need for money. "But thus, you see, we

maintain a trade, not for gold, silver or jewels…

nor for any other commodity of matter, but only

for God’s first creature which was light" (Bacon,

437). This shows a devotion to truth rather than

victory and it emphasizes the Christian piety to

which the scientist is disposed by virtue of his

science. As man observes and brings the fruits of

his observations together, he discover likeness’

and differences among events and objects in the

universe. In this way he will establish laws among

happenings upon which he can base all subsequent

action. Bacon realized that sometimes religious

ideas and the discoveries of nature and careful

observations were contradictory but he argued

that society must believe both. The NEW

ATLANTIS begins with the description of a ship

lost at sea. The crew "lift up their hearts and

voices to God above, who showeth his wonders in

the deep, beseeching him of his mercy" (Bacon,

419). Upon spotting land and discerning natives

the sailors praise God. When a boarding party

comes to their ship to deliver messages, none of

the natives speak. Rather, the messages are

delivered written on scrolls of parchment. The

parchment is "signed with a stamp of cherubins’

wings… and by them a cross" (Bacon, 420). To

the sailors, the cross was "a great rejoicing, and as

it were a certain presage of good" (Bacon, 420).

After the natives leave and return to the ship, they

stop and ask "Are ye Christians?" (Bacon, 421).

When the sailors confirm that they are, they are

taken to the island of Bensalem. On Bensalem, the

sailors are ‘confined’ to their resting place and are

attended to according to their needs. The sailors

reply, "God surely is manifested in this land"

(Bacon, 424). Upon talking to the governor the

next day, he exclaims "Ye knit my heart to you by

asking this question, [the hope that they might

meet heaven], in the first place, for it showeth that

you first seek the kingdom of heaven" (Bacon,

427). This is not true. The sailors have already

sought food, shelter and care of the sick. In other

words, they had sought self preservation. As

Bacon put it, "they had already prepared for

death" (Bacon, 419). After the Feast of the

Family, the father of Salomon’s House has a

conference with the travelers. The father says, "I

will give the greatest jewel that I have. For I will

impart to thee… a relation of the true state of

Salomon’s House" (Bacon, 447). The greatest

‘jewel’ is not one of monetary value but of

knowledge. The father continues, "The End of our

Foundation is the Knowledge of Causes and

secret motion of things, and the enlarging of the

bounds of Human Empire, to the affecting of all

things possible" (bacon, 447). This is the turning

point from religion to science and science

becoming the new civil religion. From this comes

the ability of human rule over Nature. It was stated

before that they were interested in "God’s first

creature which was light" (Bacon, 437). This

contradicts an earlier statement that "It is

dedicated to the study of Works and Creatures of

God" (Bacon, 436). The former obviously an

indication to science as the latter is to religion.

Bacon stresses the importance of ‘light’ as the

precursor of ‘fruit’ to suggest that they are

following the divine instrument. There are two

images used by Bacon to refer to knowledge,

torture and light. The torture refers to the violent

twisting of nature’s secrets. Nature must be

conquered but is not adverse to the conquest. The

forces of Nature are against us, but in a rather

passive manner. Light, on the other hand, is the

meaning for natural philosophy. From Salomon’s

house there go forth ‘merchants of light’ and

‘lamps’. Light is identified with truth. Supposing

that light is symbolic of natural philosophy, then it

dismisses the case of light being divine philosophy.

The light in Bacon is primarily the light of Nature.

The obvious contrast here is one between "gold

and silver and light" (Bacon, 437). Light, here is

noble where gold and silver are base. The ‘noble

light’ is for the beneficence of all man. Bcaon took

the modern spirit and weaved them together so as

to suggest a method by which man could master

the universe. He did this to the end that he might

exhibit therein a model or description of a college

instituted for the interpreting of nature and the

producing of great works for the benefit of man.

The island community of Bensalem also has "two

long and fair galleries" (Bacon, 456). In one

gallery the native place all manner of patterns and

samples of rare and excellent inventions. In the

other gallery are placed statues of inventors. It is

interesting to note here that while the island and its

natives act in "so civil a fashion" (Bacon, 423) in

professing to be Christian and religious that they

place science so high on their list. Science is

placed so high that instead of having statues of

God and his works, they erect statues of inventors

of the western world thereby showing their

commonness and baseness to human preservation.

They do, however, have "certain hymns and

services, which (we) say daily, of laud and praise

to God for his marvelous works" (Bacon, 457).

But, even this is done "for the illumination of (their)

labors and the turning of them into good and holy

uses" (Bacon, 457). The statues are erected to the

memory of what the natives consider most

important for in Bacon, the scientists are a

consecrated priesthood. In Bacon’s NEW

ATLANTIS, religion plays an important role.

However, it is a role of cover-up. It covers up the

true idea that Bacon is trying to get across -

science as the new civil religion. Although he

relegated religion into a realm of its own outside of

and different from philosophy, he held that there

were religious laws that man must obey whether or

not they appeared reasonable. By freeing theology

and philosophy, Bacon was able to shape

philosophy so that it might undertake an unbiased

study of the universe. This left man subject to the

will of God and thereby shorn of his freedom. It is

obvious that this creation could not long satisfy the

thinking mind as it was far too contradictory. The

laymen have a genuine thirst for knowledge yet

they cannot know what is uncovered either by

religion or by science.