Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
It is idle to expect any great advancement in science from the superinducing and engrafting of new things upon old. We must begin anew from the very foundations, unless we would revolve for ever in a circle with mean and contemptible progress.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True progress in science requires starting from foundational principles rather than merely adding new ideas to old ones.
In this quote, Francis Bacon emphasizes that significant advancements in science cannot be achieved by simply layering new concepts onto outdated frameworks. He argues that to avoid stagnant and trivial progression, it is essential to return to the basics and build knowledge anew, thereby fostering genuine development and innovation in scientific understanding.
Themes
ScienceProgressInnovationFoundationKnowledge
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture about scientific methodology, this quote could illustrate the need for foundational understanding.
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
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Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
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Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
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Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
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