The paper aims to make sense of the means necessary for the reconstruction of the unfinished plot and theoretical content of Bacon’s “New Atlantis”. The research contains the analysis of the origins of Bacon’s utopism in his early writings as well as of his use of the unpublished texts during his work for the projects of the “Great Instauration” and “New Atlantis”. We argue that in his utopian novel Bacon made several considerable borrowings from his early unpublished tracts and speeches (...) similar to borrowings in the “Great Instauration”. These texts are the clue to the proper understanding and to the prevention of the misinterpretation of Bacon’s utopian thought. (shrink)

The paper is a preface to F. Bacon’s «Valerius Terminus» treatise. The article deals with basic facts of the treatise’s history, as well as the history of its study and the links between it and the other philosophical writings by F. Bacon.

The paper analyzes the ideas of H. Neville’s philosophical novel “The Isle of Pines”. The scope of the research is to make sense of its place within the context of Early Modern political philosophy, and especially its linkage with the Hobbesian theories of human nature, sovereignty and inevitable conflict engaging pre-political communities into bellum omnium contra omnes. Rethinking Hobbesian views on the natural state Neville replaces his mechanical interpretation of human’s passions and behavioral patterns with a historical perspective. Taking into (...) his account contemporary ethnographical knowledge Neville set a mental experiment and found out that a Hobbesian trap before the emergence of a state was not inevitable as well as the lack of social norms. We argue that Neville’s novel was an attempt to escape Hobbesian pessimism and to describe the emergence of social and political structures as a historical and evolutionary proces. (shrink)

The paper brings the analysis of the peculiar features of Bacon’s utopianism, it’s linkage to and tensions with classical utopias, technocratic ideas, Christian humanism and Hobbesian ethics. The research is trying to revisit conventional views on the so-called Bacon’s technocratic perspective for the future of science, state and society. We argue that ethical framework of Bacon’s theory of science and it’s societal institutions has much in common with the Kenotic ethics of Christian humanism. His utopian novel follows this ethical pattern (...) as well. The “limitation of science by religion” described in “New Atlantis” and in early tracts was on the other side a step in later Hobbesian direction towards the development of secular civic moral. In spite of this Baconian ethics was altruist & collectivist, unlike Hobbesian moral of selfishness & individualism. (shrink)