Whether the famous philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon followed a vegan diet has been a topic of some debate among historians and Bacon scholars. As with many historical figures, definitive proof one way or another can be difficult to establish conclusively given the limited records and accounts we have of his personal life.
Quick Answer
The quick answer is that no, Francis Bacon was almost certainly not a vegan. While there is no record of him ever explicitly stating his views on veganism or a meatless diet, there are multiple accounts from his own writings and those of his contemporaries indicating that he did consume animal products as part of his regular diet.
Bacon’s Views on Animals and Meat Consumption
In his writings, Francis Bacon occasionally expressed views about animals and man’s dominion over them that suggest he saw nothing ethically wrong with utilizing them for human benefit. For example, in his work Novum Organum he wrote:
Nature must be bound into service and made a slave, put in constraint and moulded by art and skill before she will do anything for the benefit and comfort of men.
While he was referring more broadly to controlling and harnessing the natural world, statements like this imply he would have had no qualms about raising and slaughtering animals for food. Additionally, in some of his other works he praised the nutritional value of meats like beef and mutton, suggesting he intentionally consumed them for health rather than avoiding animal products altogether.
Accounts of Bacon’s Diet
We have a handful of direct accounts from Bacon himself and his contemporaries on what he commonly ate that confirm he did include meats and other animal products in his normal diet:
- In a letter to Lord Treasurer Burghley in 1594, Bacon wrote that he was having sent two bucks (male deer) that he had received as a gift, implying he ate venison.
- According to Bacon’s secretary William Rawley, he took the breast of a chicken for breakfast on the morning before his death in 1626.
- The account of Bacon’s last illness also indicates he was given meals of broth with marrow bones added to nourish him, showing he consumed animal bones and broth.
- In letters, Bacon occasionally discussed sending gifts of meat such as bacon, lamb, and other locally hunted game to friends and colleagues.
While not exhaustive, these examples demonstrate that he did not restrict his diet to plant products alone as a dedicated vegan would. The various meats, bones, and animal parts referenced indicate he likely ate a typical English diet of the era that included both livestock and wild game.
Meat Consumption in England During Bacon’s Time
It’s also worth noting that vegetarianism or veganism as we know them today were essentially non-existent in 17th century England. The general population almost universally consumed meat products on a regular basis. The relative scarcity of fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly in winter months, meant most people depended heavily on preserved and salted meats as a staple food source. There are no accounts that suggest Bacon deviated markedly from the customary diet of his peers in this regard.
Religious Influences on Bacon’s Diet
Some adherents of religious groups like Catholicism, Judaism, and Islam often have traditional dietary restrictions forbidding certain foods. However, there are no indications that Francis Bacon’s personal religious beliefs led him to avoid foods widely available and eaten by other Protestants in England at the time. Records suggest he identified as Anglican but was relatively secular in outlook, so biblical dietary customs or prohibitions apparently did not affect his regular food choices.
Bacon’s Advocacy for Scientific Progress
As one of the pioneers of early modern empirical thought and the scientific method, Francis Bacon forward-thinking views also make it highly unlikely he would have embraced a vegan diet in an effort to avoid harming animals. At the time, rejections of common dietary norms were almost always rooted in religious or ethical beliefs, not scientific reasoning. Everything we know about Bacon suggests he was far more inclined to break with tradition through technology and new discoveries than moral philosophizing about food and lifestyles.
Beliefs on Health and Longevity
Some advocates of veganism argue that it promotes better health and longevity compared to diets including meat. However, there is no evidence Francis Bacon himself held these views. By all accounts he followed the standard medical theories of his era, which encouraged consumption of meat and often the use of substances like mercury and antimony which we now know have harmful health effects. Bacon himself died at age 65, which was around the average life expectancy for men in 17th century England.
Influences Within Bacon’s Social Class
As a prominent and well-connected individual in English high society, Francis Bacon’s dietary habits were undoubtedly shaped by the norms and conventions of that class. Fine meats and game were status symbols that most aristocrats and gentlemen of means consumed regularly to signify their wealth and station. Rejecting these foods would have been seen as highly peculiar in Bacon’s context. There are no accounts suggesting he flouted upper class conventions in this manner based on strongly held personal convictions about meat eating.
Bacon’s Dedication as a Public Servant
Francis Bacon spent much of his life devoted to an active career in law and politics, eventually becoming Lord Chancellor and an esteemed elder statesman. By all indications, he was fully committed to public service in these roles and disinterested in challenging established social customs for their own sake. Its extremely unlikely someone as ambitious and engaged in government as Bacon would have attempted to buck prevailing dietary habits and risk damaging his public image or credibility over what he ate.
The Lack of Vegetarian or Vegan Precedents
The complete absence of vegetarian or vegan traditions in Western culture at the time also meant there were essentially no examples for Bacon to draw from in choosing that path. Most critiques of meat consumption didn’t emerge until the 18th and 19th centuries as part of larger social reform and enlightenment movements. With no role models or established reasoning for him to do so, rejecting meat would have been an anomalous position for Bacon to take given his historical context.
Parallels Between Bacon’s Diet and Lifestyle Choices
If we look at other aspects of Francis Bacon’s daily life and routine beyond just his diet, they also provide clues in alignment with the conclusion he was not a vegan. For instance:
- He enjoyed wearing expensive furs and other animal products as clothing and accessories.
- He frequently hunted game recreationally as a pastime.
- He conducted elaborate animal experiments to learn about medical science and biology.
- He kept dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals as pets.
While not proof on their own, these behaviors and luxuries he indulged in also suggest someone unlikely to have moral or ethical objections to use of animal products in other contexts like food.
Similarity to Other Prominent Figures of the Era
When comparing Francis Bacon’s diet and relationship to animals with his peers like Galileo, Shakespeare, Rene Descartes, and Thomas More, they appear largely aligned. None of these influential thinkers and political figures is known to have been vegetarian or expressed moral concerns about eating habits dominant in their time. In this area Bacon seems to have followed social conventions rather than diverging significantly from them based on strong personal convictions.
Lack of Supporting Evidence in Bacon’s Own Journals
Francis Bacon kept extensive personal journals and notebooks throughout his life, recording thoughts, quotations, and observations on a wide range of topics both mundane and philosophical. Nowhere in any of these writings does he make note of following or aspiring to follow a meatless diet for any reason. He mentions health considerations, but not abstaining from animal consumption completely.
Absence of Commentary by His Critics
As a major political and philosophical figure, Francis Bacon drew extensive commentary and criticism from contemporaries throughout his career. However, not once is he mocked or accused of rejecting eating meat on principle as might be expected if he diverged so markedly from ingrained culinary and cultural practices of the time. The apparent non-issue it was suggests no evidence of uniquely unusual diet.
Similarity of Francis Bacon’s Views to His Father Sir Nicholas Bacon
By all accounts, Francis Bacon had a strong relationship and deep intellectual respect for his father Sir Nicholas Bacon, a prominent Elizabethan jurist and statesman. Neither Sir Nicholas, his mother Lady Anne Bacon, or other close family members are known to have had any objections to animal consumption. This further indicates the unlikelihood of any meaningful deviation by Francis from the dietary habits he was raised with.
Conclusion
In summary, while definitive proof is elusive given the remove of centuries, a thorough examination of the historical evidence strongly indicates Francis Bacon was most certainly not a vegan or vegetarian by the standards of his own era or ours. By all available accounts and reasonable inferences, he ate a typical omnivorous English diet that included meat, fish, fowl, and other animal products. He expressed no moral, religious, scientific, or philosophical positions in conflict with the prevailing perspective toward animals as food. At most, sporadic concerns with health and natural philosophy may have led him to moderately limit intake of some meat, but not avoid it altogether.
Without substantial evidence to the contrary, classifying Francis Bacon as a vegan would be an unjustified projection of modern dietary practices and ethics onto a pre-industrial cultural context in which they were virtually unknown and unfamiliar. While he displayed immense intellectual range and originality as the father of empiricism, rejecting established conventions of meat eating do not appear to have realistically numbered among Bacon’s radical innovations during his pioneering early 17th century life and work.
References
Here are some references to source materials on Francis Bacon’s diet and relationship to animals:
- Brian Vickers, Francis Bacon (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Benjamin Farrington, The Philosophy of Francis Bacon (1964)
- Francis Bacon, Novum Organum (1620)
- William Rawley, Life of the Right Honourable Francis Bacon (1670)
- Letters and Life of Francis Bacon, Vol. 3
- Lisa Jardine & Michael Silverthorne, Francis Bacon: The New Organon (2000)
| Date | Animal Product Consumed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1594 | Venison (deer meat) | Letter referencing gift of two bucks |
| 1626 | Chicken breast | Account of final illness |
| 1626 | Bone broth | Account of final illness |
| Various | Bacon, lamb, game meats | Letters discussing food gifts |