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6 - Experimental Science and the Essay

from Part II - The Work of the Essay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 October 2022

By
Werlin Julianne
Edited by
Kara Wittman  and
Evan Kindley
Kara Wittman
Affiliation:
Pomona College, California
Evan Kindley
Affiliation:
Pomona College, California
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Summary

This chapter asserts the influence of Francis Bacon’s natural philosophy on the early modern English essay, noting in particular how the Baconian commitment to scientific experiment and empirical investigation informed the work of early essayists such as Robert Boyle, Samuel Hartlib, and William Cornwallis. The author argues that the humanist form of the essay was also harnessed to the practical and utilitarian ends of managed state capitalism, including agriculture and political economy.

Keywords

Early Modern EnglandCapitalismHumanismExperimental MethodNatural PhilosophySamuel HartlibRobert BoyleFrancis BaconWilliam CornwallisRoyal Society
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Companion to The Essay , pp. 97 - 110
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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