THE STATUS OF BACON IN GASSENDI’S SYNTAGMA PHILOSOPHICUM HISTORY OF LOGIC

One trademark of the early-modern period is the tendency to baselogic on theory of mind, but so far, this topic has not received close attention. The aimof this paper is to bring some attention to this neglected topic by examining thereference to Bacon in the first part of Gassendi’s Syntagma Philosophicum. The summary ofthe Novum Organum Gassendi gives in the Syntagma shows that he is acquainted withBacon’s perspective on science and that he intends to make use of it to emphasize theepistemic necessity of logic. Not only does he use Bacon’s theory of idols to reveal thelack of consistency in Descartes’ approach to prejudice in the Meditationes, but Gassendialso uses materials from Bacon to define logic in terms of the shaping of intellectualmaterials which are naturally in disorder. This investigation helps show that building alogic in the 17th century meant setting up a technique which is distinctive because it isapplied to an internal, rather than an external, object. Prior to gaining power overexternal nature, man needs to be able to make use of his intellectual capacities, that is, tohave a control over his own nature.