Examination Of The Philosophy Of Bacon

An Examination of the Philosophy of Bacon is one of Joseph de Maistre's most original and important works. Written between 1814 and 1816, it is a vigorous attack on the materialism and scientism that he believed characterized the thought of the French philosophes.

Richard Lebrun's annotated translation includes Maistre's complete text, an extensive introduction that places the work in context and provides a critical exposition and assessment of Maistre's criticisms of Bacon, biographical notes on persons cited or mentioned by Maistre, and a bibliography. Differences between Maistre's manuscript and the printed text, first published fifteen years after the author's death, are noted, and Maistre's numerous citations have been identified, verified, and translated, making this the only authoritative and fully accurate edition of the work in either French or English.