Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial

Hardcover
$17.90

Paperback
from $7.50

Select delivery location

See All Buying Options

Follow the author

Francis Bacon

Follow

The New Atlantis Paperback – January 31, 2006

by Francis Bacon (Author)

4.1 130 ratings

See all formats and editions

Large Format for easy reading. By the English astrologer, philosopher, statesman, spy, freemason and essayist. Offers a fictional illustration of Bacon's visionary ideal of the role that science should play in modern society, and depicts his idea of utopia.

Print length

48 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Dodo Pr
Publication date

January 31, 2006
Dimensions

6 x 0.12 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

1406504149
ISBN-13

978-1406504149
See all details

Marcelo Gleiser
239
Paperback
27 offers from $5.15
Thomas More
175
Paperback
64 offers from $1.48
Sir Francis Bacon
108
Paperback
1 offer from $10.99
Francis Bacon
28
Paperback
21 offers from $7.33
Francis Bacon
69
Paperback
1 offer from $16.19

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dodo Pr; null edition (January 31, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 48 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1406504149
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1406504149
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.02 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.12 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #9,298,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #148,694 in Classic Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.1 130 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Francis Bacon

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

130 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Amazon Customer

A journey through the mists of time.

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is a fascinating insight into one of the greatest literary minds of all time. Shakespearean one might say ;)

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Lawrance Bernabo

Two classic early utopias from the Age of Reason

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2003

Verified Purchase

It had been nearly a century since Thomas More's "Utopia" had been published, and these two classic Age of Reason utopias spurred a revitalized interest in the genre that remains unabaited to this day. However, in proposing science as the ultimate source of human salvation, Francis Bacon and Tomasso Campnaella were taking an approach quite different from More in positing his utopia.
"The New Atlantis" is the philosophical and intellectual utopia envisioned by Francis Bacon. Published in 1627, the year after the author's death by his literary executor, speculation is that Bacon wrote his story in 1623 or 1624, which would be after his fall from political power. Unlike many of his other major works, Bacon wrote "The New Atlantis" in English and then had it translated into Latin, an indication that he intended it for a wider, English-speaking audience. Bacon focuses on the duty of the state toward science, and his projections for state-sponsored research anticipate many advances in medicine and surgery, meteorology, and machinery. Although "The New Atlantis" is only a part of his plan for an ideal commonwealth, this work does represent Bacon's ideological beliefs. The inhabitants of Bensalem represent the ideal qualities of Bacon the statesman: generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit.
Bacon breaks from Plato, Aristotle and other ancient writers by insisting that humans do not need to aspire to fewer desires because the extraordinary advances of science would make it possible to appease bodily desires by providing material things that would satisfy human greed. For Bacon there is no reason to waste time and energy trying to get human beings to rise to a higher moral state. In his conception of Solomon's House we see the what Bacon the scientist envisioned for the future of human knowledge in an unfettered intellectual setting. It is easy to see the modern research university is the utility of Bacon's great college. Ultimately, Bacon clearly sees the advances of science as the best way of increasing humanity's control over nature and providing for the comfort and convenience of all people, and England's Royal Society and similar organizations dedicated to scientific progress are generally regarded as embodying Bacon's utopian vision.
Tomasso Campanella was a Calabrian monk who published "The City of the Sun" in 1623, a utopian vision that certain reflects the idealism and revolutionary trends of thought in the Age of Reason. Campanella was a student of logic and physics who formulated the first scientifically based socialistic system, which makes "The City of the Sun" important because it serves as the model for all subsequent ideal communities. The earliest version was written in Italian in 1602, and was later revised in an abbreviated Latin version two decades later. It is this Latin version, which is better known, that is provided here, although the Italian work was published posthumously in 1637.
The tale here is told by a sea captain who has visited an island called Taprobane (quite possibly Sumatra). He tells of finding a land where there is community property, labor is divided equitably among the people, and there is no need for money. In "The City of the Sun" all of the inhabitants work towards the common good, entrusting their government to the wisest and ablest among them, and prizing equality and self-sacrifice for the sake of the community above all. The system is so efficient that all work is completed in a four-hour work day. The influences of not only Sir Thomas More but Plato is clearly seen in this utopian vision, especially in the notion of scientifically controlling breeding.
However, like More, Campanella discourses on the topics of religion, justice, and war. The religion of the City of the Sun is clearly Christianity, but with sun figures representing God in the temples and the clergy being pure in their conduct (remember, Campanella lived the monastic life). The head of the government is called Hoh, and his chief ministers are Pon (Power), Sin (Wisdom), and Mor (Love). Clearly the Hoh (which means metaphysics) is fashioned after Plato's philosopher-king, since he has to know all of the sciences, as well as metaphysics, theology, and the history of all kingdoms and their governments. Science is what drives this utopia (which comes from Telesius rather than Plato), which develops power-propelled ships and flying machines, and which will create the ideal world Campanella envisions.
The obvious comparison is between the utopias of Campanella and Bacon, but the former goes much farther is developing his seven-sided city than the latter, where Bacon is concerned primarily with emphasizing the duty of the state to foster scientific research. However, both utopias underscore the idea that science will solve the evils of this world. These early utopias do not usually receive as much consideration as the dystopian novels of the 20th century, but the works of Campanella and these others certainly represent the utopian ideal in its purest form.

38 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jashryn

Fascinating

Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2013

Verified Purchase

Anything Francis Bacon writes is fascinating. The New Atlantis is actually a description of what we are now living in. Bacon describes this quite clearly in this writing of a journey he takes. Well worth the time to read the content. Bacon's style captures a descriptive element that shows he had a far reaching insight into the future. He lived in the sixteenth century and could see the twenty-first century.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Mark

Scientific Pursuit of Betterment

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

English Renaissance Philosopher, Father of Empiricism, Creator of the Scientific Method, Attorney General, & Lord Chancellor of England, Sir Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626) left behind an unfinished novel (published posthumously) offerring a detailed vision of Utopia that reads like a fable, called New Atlantis.

Bacon offers a vision for a society driven mainly by science and knowledge, with its only driving principle being the bettering of man’s feeble condition. To that end, Bacon redefines science as being concerned solely with “the relief of man’s estate” and not with the pursuit of truth as a good in and of itself. The moral of the story could be summarized in Bacon’s famous dictum, “knowledge is power".
I would rephrase as "Knowledge is empowerment when employed for Betterment."

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Kevin M. Derby

A Lasting Utopian Classic

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2012

Verified Purchase

My expectations were low for the Kindle version of Francis Bacon's "The New Atlantis"--it was free after all--but there is a reason this utopian tale is still in print almost 400 years after it was first published. Bacon offers a compelling look at how religion and science can build a strong society. While "New Atlantis" is perhaps not the best introduction to Bacon and his thinking, it is very accessible to modern day readers, most of whom will be able to follow a fictional sailor's account of his encounter with the fictional island of Bensalem. The text is very readable though a bit large in the Kindle edition.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

D. Daniels

Great Bacon

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is a classic, and since I was playing the part of Sir Francis Bacon at a "Night of the Notables" meeting of great philosophers, this was one of my top choices for my research, along with the complete essays. Greatly enjoyed the book and all the philosophical concepts that are woven into the story.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Adventure

Very good service

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

Interesting book

Kunal P.

good economic read

Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2018

Verified Purchase

good economic read. as an economist, i felt that the book provided in-depth knowledge about the perfect utopia and the generic ideas about it. good resource

Kris

Poor printing.

Reviewed in India on June 10, 2018

Verified Purchase

While this book is only 45 pages long, it is a physically difficult read. This a prescribed read for M.A English.
The type is set in 6 point and the initial pages are one long solid block of text. And in the inner margin print is missing in every page.
The quaint english style while needing to be studied is rendered difficult because of the print style and type style.

One person found this helpful

Daley Atkinson

Thought Inspiring Read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

This book can take a few reads to fully absorb into your head, but it'd be worth the time required for such reading. As it does have a very interesting story behind it. Along with a few lovely quotes which could assist in reviewing your own life.

Or well, it certainly put me in a philosophical mood to say the least. The thoughts of which shall remain private.

3 people found this helpful

Giovanni

Good item

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2017

Verified Purchase

Item in good condition. Thank you.

See more reviews