Crossing the Pillars of Hercules: Francis Bacon, the Scientific Revolution and the New World

Abstract

The significance of the connection between the discovery of the New World and scientific discovery has been one that has been remarked on since the time of Francis Bacon. The article assesses such claims made by Bacon and his contemporaries in the light of the recent historiography of the subject. In doing so it analyses a number of the notable features of the Scientific Revolution: the scientific role of the pioneering exploring nations, Spain and Portugal; the place of natural history in the formulation of early modern science; and the interconnections between the sciences associated with navigation and the theoretical developments that were most central to our accepted understanding of the Scientific Revolution. The article concludes with an analysis of the limitations of the term “Scientific Revolution” in accommodating the scientific discoveries associated with the discovery of the New World particularly in the realm of natural history with its accumulation of detail which was so much a part of the Baroque mentality.