Bacon's Scientifically Revolutionary Utopia The New Atlantis example essay topic

Francis Bacon's Scientifically Revolutionary Utopia The New Atlantis is a seventeenth century depiction of a utopia by Francis Bacon. In this novel, Francis Bacon continues on More's utopian ideas. Unlike More, however, Bacon relied on societal change via advancements in science and ones own awareness of his environment rather than through religious reforms or social legislation. The seventeenth century marks a period in history where drastic social change occurred. This change, however, was not as much political or technological but religious.

During this time, the introduction of ideas and theories, starting with the renown Galileo and Isaac Newton, spread a wave of enlightenment across Europe as people began to question the teachings and the overall infidelity of the church. Beginning in the seventeenth century Europeans began seeing a shift from the med-evil teachings of the church to a more enlightened scientific world. Although the Catholics were still against science and political democracy, a wave of new Protestants were very progressive. With the Catholic Church becoming aware that it was loosing some of its following to science, it tried desperate measures such as the inquisition where they questioned and tried to get rid of people not committed and devout to the church. Despite these measures, however, the church was basically trying to hold back the tide as a plethora of knowledge began to flow into society. Galileo was born in 1564 in a time where society was very conforming to the teachings of the church.

Despite his discoveries, Galileo was very religious though he tied religion and science into his life. Galileo's great contribution to science was the telescope, however his greater contribution was the gift of awareness and knowledge. Before Galileo, it was generally accepted that the earth was the center of the universe. This was not based upon data or facts, but merely because the church said so. Prior to the seventeenth century, Europe was stuck in the med-evil era of church teachings.

With Galileo's telescope, however, he was able to show that the sun rather than the earth was the center of the universe. Although this new discovery had a large scientific value, it had a larger impact to society on a religious level. Dating back to med-evil times, the preaching of the Catholic Church was accepted as fact. What they said was not questioned and people truly lived their lives going along with what was told to them. With Galileo's telescope, however, he discovered that the church had mistakenly chosen the earth to be the center of the universe rather than the sun. Although this may seem like an insignificant error, it opened people's eyes and made them aware of the fact that the church could be questioned.

Prior to this time period, many facts of life were preached by the church and accepted by the people without question. Galileo's discovery, however, proved to the people that the church could be questioned, thereby sparking the curiosity of the people and the beginning of a scientific revolution, which would last throughout the next century. With the turn of the century and the beginning of the scientific revolution, discoveries made by Galileo and Newton lead to a new and more curious generation of people. With societies' newly found desire to gain knowledge and awareness of their environment and surroundings, even utopian thinkers such as Francis Bacon began to theorize that advancements in science and developing a better understanding of the world was the crucial step in arriving at the nirvana they dream of. A world where people apply their knowledge of nature, politics, health, and beauty to improve their lives and essentially become happier people.

From the beginning of New Atlantis, when the sailors stumble upon a community in the middle of the ocean, one is immediately impressed with the organization, etiquette, and ethical practices of the Bensalem ites. For a small and unheard of shoreline community, the people of Bensalem are amazingly knowledgeable. Their collection of languages, understanding of disease and medicine and curious knowledge of European politics is impressive. One does not realize, however, that this is a utopia until the party lands at shore and begins to realize how smoothly the community runs and how everyone's needs are met. Unlike Tomas so Campanella's City of the Sun, the community of Bensalem is less communistic and government run and more a conglomeration of people all contributing what they can to the betterment of society. A society such as this with vast majority of the population on equal ground is also simultaneously occurring in Europe where Bureaucracies are being formed, in attempts to reduce the power of the nobles and thereby give the poor a more equal voice.

Additionally, in Britain the quest for knowledge and technology is also occurring as the British strive for a strong and effective navy. The people of Bensalem in their utopia enjoy many of the spoils of life that the people back in Europe of the time period are striving for. This includes John Locke and his two treatises of government. Within this Locke states that he believes that every man should be free and unrestricted by the will of another man. The vision is along the lines of the Bensalemite's world in which every member of the community chooses to help in their way with no attempt of getting further ahead than their equals.

This is exemplified in the book when the servants and priests refuse to be paid twice for their civil duties. These basic ideas are carried on into the nineteenth century and the period of the enlightenment. During the nineteenth century, skepticism about Christianity is formulated and people begin to look for rationality and reasoning behind every day life. Furthermore, the concept of "tabula rasa" or "blank slate" is formed and people begin to realize that positions should be filled based on qualifications and skill rather than bloodlines. All in all, Francis Bacon's New Atlantis is the first of the scientific utopias and his ideas are definitely indicative of seventeenth century and the scientific revolution.

Bacon's ideas for utopia are more realistic than other communistic utopias in that he proposes to satisfy people's wants for material possessions through scientific advances rather than through coaxing them into higher moral states. Bacon urged his readers to actively seek out this perfect world and in many ways, though not actually occurring, society gravitates towards this ideal in the eighteenth century.