2008/12/01 by Carolyn Merchant · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #History of Science and Medicine #Diverse Historical and Scientific Studies #Science Education and Perceptions
paper · doi:10.1086/597767
Francis Bacon's use of metaphors to characterize his nascent concept of experimentation must be interpreted within the historical context of his time. His approach to experimentation is one in which nature is constrained by the “violence of impediments” and is made new by “art and the hand of man.” His language about nature should be placed in the context of the history of the contained, controlled experiment, a concept that emerges from juridical practice, from the idea of nature in bonds, and from the tradition of the secrets of nature in settings such as the courtroom, the anatomy theater, and the laboratory.