By imitating and twisting nature, he declared, its secrets would be revealed – and could be manipulated to improve humans’ lives. Bacon’s pragmatic objective of using a scientific understanding of natural causes to “effect all things possible” – what is now called innovation – was science’s original promise to society, and formed the core of the Age of Enlightenment.
现代科学最坚定的支持者弗朗西斯·培根在其著作《大复兴》（Instauratio Magna）中描绘了一个新世界，这个世界来自对自然现象的系统性研究。培根说，通过效仿和改变大自然，它的秘密会被披露——并能加以操纵从而改善人类生活。培根对利用自然原因的科学理解来“影响所有可能的事物”——即现在所谓的创新——的务实目标是科学对社会的最初的承诺，后来成为启蒙时代的核心。