Roger Bacon

In Our Time: Philosophy

BBC

History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 20 April 2017

⏱️ 51 minutes

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Summary

The 13th-century English philosopher Roger Bacon is perhaps best known for his major work the Opus Maius. Commissioned by Pope Clement IV, this extensive text covered a multitude of topics from mathematics and optics to religion and moral philosophy. He is also regarded by some as an early pioneer of the modern scientific method. Bacon's erudition was so highly regarded that he came to be known as 'Doctor Mirabilis' or 'wonderful doctor'. However, he is a man shrouded in mystery. Little is known about much of his life and he became the subject of a number of strange legends, including one in which he allegedly constructed a mechanical brazen head that would predict the future. With: Jack Cunningham Academic Coordinator for Theology at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln Amanda Power Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford Elly Truitt Associate Professor of Medieval History at Bryn Mawr College Producer: Victoria Brignell.

Transcript

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0:42.0	I hope you enjoy the programs.
0:44.0	Hello Dr Marablis or wonderful doctor was the nickname given to the medieval English
0:49.2	scholar Roger Bacon. Born in the early 13th century, much of his life is obscure, but what is beyond doubt is the
0:55.9	vast breadth of his learning. His epic work, The Opus Mayas, comprised seven books and dealt with science,
1:01.3	mathematics, optics, geography, religion, moral philosophy and rhetoric.
1:05.2	He was determined to improve the quality of education in the West arguing that this was necessary
1:10.5	to reduce the amount of sin. Some historians regard him as one of the earliest
1:14.6	European promoters of the modern scientific method, but he also acquired a reputation
1:19.0	as a magician, and over time various legends grew up about him. According to the most famous story
1:24.4	he said have created a mechanical talking head to foretell the fate of the kingdom.
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