Bacon's Spider Simile
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4869042 |
|---|---|
| Authors | R H Bowers (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1956 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 133 |
| Publication date | 1956-01-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of the History of Ideas (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-5037 • E-ISSN: 1086-3222 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/2707692 |
| OpenAlex | W2329179581 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
the text before us: For the wit and mind of man, if it work upon matter, which is the contemplation of the creatures of God, worketh according to the stuff, and is limited thereby; but if it work upon itself, as the spider worketh his web, then it is endless, and brings forth indeed cobwebs of learning, admirable for the fineness of thread and work, but of no substance or profit. There are two distinct notions combined in this assertion which are neither novel nor original. First, the principle that reasoning or argument must be verified by experiment or experience, which was one of the principles of Roger Bacon 2 whom Sarton regards as the sole formulator of an experimental method during the Middle Ages,3 and to whom Francis Bacon paid grudging praise. The superficial resemblance between the thoughts of the two Bacons has often been noticed.5 Secondly, the comparison of logicians to spiders, which was recorded as a saying of Ariston of Chios by Diogenes Laertes (VII,ii,160): 'EowucvaL 8E Trov 8LaXEKTLKOV A XoyOV? Tot
Art · Biology · Linguistics · Metaphor · Simile · Spider · Zoology · Historical Philosophy and Science · History of Science and Medicine · Philosophy
| Citations per year | 0.09 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2015 - 2015 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |