The Opus Majus Of Roger Bacon, Translated By John Henry Bridges, 1900

Bacon argued that experience (experimentum) is the foundation of real knowledge—long before the scientific revolution. In Opus Majus he: Criticizes blind reliance on authority Promotes observation and experimentation Anticipates ideas later associated with Francis Bacon, Galileo, and modern science If you’re interested in the origins of scientific thinking, this is a foundational text. Bacon’s treatment of perspective and optical science is among the most advanced of its time. He discusses: The nature of vision Lenses and mirrors The behavior of light Early ideas that foreshadow telescopes and microscopes Reading Bacon reveals a surprisingly bold, rational, and experimental mind, which counters the stereotype that medieval thinkers were unscientific or uncritical. His work shows: A global outlook (Arabic science, Greek philosophy, Jewish scholarship) Sophisticated mathematics Awareness of scientific limitations and errors He represents the cosmopolitan, intellectually ambitious side of medieval scholarship.