ABSTRACT
A direct comparison between Francis Bacon and H.G. Wells runs the risk of anachronism. There is no way of denying the historical barrier that exists between Bacon, the Renaissance philosopher and founding father of modern science, and Wells, the author of scientific romances and professed disciple of Darwin. Still, it would be misleading to exclude Bacon from Wells's cultural background altogether. It is obvious that Wells was strongly influenced by Bacon's philosophical ideas, in addition to his admiration for the work of Thomas Malthus, Charles Darwin, and Thomas Henry Huxley.! In as much as Wells regarded Bacon as a representative of a 'usable past', we may say that the Renaissance philosopher was a part of Wells's cultural context. In this paper, I will highlight certain parallels in the works of the two authors which I regard as more than merely coincidental.
