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
Man, as the minister and interpreter of nature, is limited in act and understanding by his observation of the order of nature; neither his understanding nor his power extends further.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that humans are bound by their understanding and perception of the natural world.
Francis Bacon reflects on the limitations of human knowledge and power, stating that our abilities to act and comprehend are restricted by our observations of nature's laws. He suggests that we can only operate within the framework of what we observe and understand about the natural order, highlighting the importance of empirical observation in gaining knowledge.
Themes
NatureUnderstandingObservationKnowledgeLimitations
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom setting to illustrate the importance of empirical evidence in science.
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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