Abstract
AbstractThis chapter considers the emergence of an experimental natural philosophy in England during the seventeenth century, focusing on Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton. Bacon’s experimental natural philosophy stressed the importance of experimentation as a means of challenging ‘idols of the mind’, including preconceptions about nature inherited from the past or influential cultural figures. Robert Boyle consolidated Bacon’s approach, making important connections between the experimental method and human knowledge production. Boyle highlighted the importance of ‘physico-theology’—a form of theology which resulted from the methods of natural philosophy. Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica raised the profile and prestige of natural philosophy by demonstrating its explanatory capacities, particularly in the unification of celestial and terrestrial mechanics. The chapter also notes the importance of natural philosophy as a moderating influence in the aftermath of the English Civil War, allowing discussion of the natural world without the intrusion of religious polemics.
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