Francis Bacon e a fundamentacao da ciencia como tecnologia (review)

Because there are many studies on Francis Bacon, his thought, and the impact of his works, every new book addressing these themes must somehow justify its publication. And that Bernardo Jefferson de Oliveira's Francis Bacon e a fundamentação da ciência como tecnologia (Francis Bacon and the case for science as technology, somewhat freely translated) does, offering a new, learned, and stimulating discussion of certain aspects of Bacon's thought, especially on the relation between science and technology. More precisely, Jefferson de Oliveira examines the origin and theoretical foundation of science conceived as technology. Though he regards Bacon as the originator of many of today's notions about this relationship, his perspective is not strictly historical. He also engages in an examination of the epistemological changes introduced by Bacon and the way they reshaped the discourse on the science-technology relationship.

The book is divided into three parts, dealing respectively with episteme and techne, Bacon's critiques and their context, and the reform of knowledge. The three chapters in part 1 present diverse material on Greek thought, on trends in the historiography of science, and on the present status of the debates on science and technology. These are perhaps the weakest chapters, sometimes reading like textbook material, but this is not a significant deficiency, as they are merely intended to set the scene. And the rest of the book is certainly more engaging.

Piece by piece, Jefferson de Oliveira unfolds his argument. In part 2 he analyzes the criticism of authority and the sterility of the philosophical tradition; Bacon's relations to Renaissance skepticism; his interests in technological procedures and some of the notions associated with them (progress, cooperation, utility); and his relation to occult and magical practices. Then, in part 3, Jefferson de Oliveira gets to the heart of his thesis, showing how Bacon elaborated a series of arguments that led to the conception of science as technology. Besides examining the better-known aspects of these arguments, such as the equating of truth with utility, he carefully explains how Bacon initiated a series of epistemological redefinitions by introducing new criteria of evidence, truth, experiment, cognitive processes, and progress, which led to a reform of the concept of knowledge and the introduction of a mind-set that ultimately made the technological revolution possible.

Jefferson de Oliveira shows a profound acquaintance with Bacon's works and an excellent command of the secondary literature, and his arguments evidence careful reflection. Although other Bacon scholars have addressed several of the questions treated in his book, he sometimes comes to different conclusions. Jefferson de Oliveira argues that the relation of Bacon to Renaissance skepticism was more complex than is usually thought, that his critique of occult practices was ambiguous, and that his characterization as an inductivist requires qualification. Rather than rebutting others directly, he proceeds as if charting new ground. Yet his claims are never exaggerated, and his tone is always prudent.

Minor though annoying deficiencies (typographical errors, inconsistencies in the citation style, and, most of all, the use of translations without proper reference to the originals) could easily have been avoided. But Jefferson de Oliveira set himself a rather ambitious goal, and I believe he has met it. His thesis is to a great extent new; his arguments are detailed, well documented, and clearly presented. This is an interesting contribution to a field already well served by other excellent works.