当代社会科学（英文）2023，Vol.8Issue(2)：38-51,14.
Is Knowledge Power
Is Knowledge Power?
摘要
Abstract
Francis Bacon's famous quote "knowledge is power," has long been misunderstood, for his real intention was precisely to make humankind aware of the limitations of knowledge. His concept of potestas (power) is not about conquest, but about action, aiming to clarify the nature of knowledge, to get rid of the empty and shallow contemplation of antiquity, and thus to bring the spirit of the real world back to the earth, as Socrates did. Bacon emphasized the unity of knowledge and action while valuing action over knowledge. Nature in Bacon's time was no longer sacred and was degraded to a poor substance that revealed its secrets after being tortured by scientific technology. As a result, natural teleology was completely abandoned. Bacon put man in increasing tension with nature, heralding Kant's argument that human reason prescribed lawfulness to nature. But Bacon, after all, lived in an era not far from antiquity, so he agreed the limitations of knowledge and action and considered technology to be a labyrinth prone to divest one's identity. Bacon thought that knowledge could be venom that made humankind swell, and the antidote was charity. Bacon's quote is not so much an encouragement to take from nature as it is a way to learn from nature and to take a practical approach to happiness.关键词
Bacon/knowledge/power/action/natureKey words
Bacon/knowledge/power/action/nature引用本文复制引用
Cheng Zhimin..Is Knowledge Power[J].当代社会科学（英文）,2023,8(2):38-51,14.基金项目
This research is the phased achievement of a program supported by the National Social Science Fund of China called"Translation and Research of Bacon's Collected Works"(18BZX093). （18BZX093）
