Relief of Man's Estate
The Theological Origins of the Modern Biomedical Project
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3685885 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Todd T W Daly (0000-0002-0179-9470, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 729 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-14 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Religions (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/rel15060729 |
| OpenAlex | W4399670465 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
In recent years, medicine has been increasingly described as "Baconian", in reference to the scientific methodology laid out by Francis Bacon (1561-1626), who, in criticizing Aristotle's natural philosophy, called for cultivating useful knowledge in order to eradicate disease and extend human life by attenuating aging. Contemporary medicine is often described as "Baconian" insofar as it is devoted to the relief of suffering and the expansion of choice. These two features continue to exert pressure on medicine to expand understandings of both suffering and wellness. Recent attempts to reclassify human aging as a disease, for instance, bear witness to the Baconian impulse. In this article, I discuss and critique the religious origins of Bacon's call for a new kind of practical rationality in service of improving humanity, showing that they were deeply theological and considerably informed by events recorded in the biblical book of Genesis. I will also argue that the theological nature of Bacon's program, while theocentric in nature, suffers from inattention to Christology, which challenges Bacon's theology and the Baconian Project. Attending to Christological concerns modifies Bacon's approach to bioethics, which recognizes both the fallenness of creation and the power of medicine to address the human condition, especially human aging
Christology · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Humanity · Rationality · Theology · Witness · Historical Philosophy and Science · History of Medicine Studies · Philosophy · Seventeenth-Century Political and Philosophical Thought
The Bible, Protestantism, and the Rise of Natural Science
A preliminary discourse on the study of natural philosophy.
The History of Life and Death A 'Spiritual' History from Invisible Matter to Prolongation of Life
Chasing Methuselah
Toward a New Understanding of Francis Bacon's Reform of Philosophy
"Francis Bacon's Valerius Terminus and the Voyage to the "Great Instauration
Subduing the Earth
Francis Bacon's Instauratio
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |