num_pages: 868
description: Bacon's "Opus Majus" is one of the most influential scientific and philosophical texts of its ages, and the high point of medieval knowledge of the physical sciences. Roger Bacon (c.1214-92) was the forerunner of modern scienfitic method, stressing the importance of systematic observation and experiment in the study of natural phenomena. He was ahead of his time in advocating the use of chemistry in medicine and the sue of mathematics in explaining astronomy and physics. Many of his experiments, particularly in optics, were ground-breaking, and his inventions were numerous - he is credited with devising the magnifying glass, a vacuum-globe balloon, eye glasses and the telescope. He believed the Earth to be round and that one could sial aroun it, he was the first Westerner to describe in detail the process of making gunpowder, and he even foresaw the inventioin of aircraft, motorized ships and cars. In the "Opus Majus" Bacon makes a plea for the reform of education, emphasizing the rightful role of the sciences in the university curriculum and the interdependence of the various disciplines. Prepared in 1267 at the request of Pope Clement IV, the treatise is a collection of ideas, an encyclopedia of knowledge embracing all science including language, logic, optics, mathematics, moral philosophy and physics. This is a facsimile of the 1928 edition, the only complete English translation.
language: English
title: The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon
titlecomplete: The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon
genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy
ratings_count: 12
publisher: Thoemmes Continuum