Traces of utilitarianism in Francis Bacon's essays

This thesis intends to discuss traces of the philosophical concept of utilitarianism in Francis Bacon's (1561-1626) Essays, which is the first known example of this literary genre in English. This study will especially focus on the essays written upon subjects such as religion, politics and morality, and will discuss the ways in which Bacon addresses individual or civil issues in general in the light of the idea of utilitarianism. Thus, this study will also create a certain awareness of the roots of utilitarianist thought in Elizabethan and Jacobean societies. Keywords: Francis Bacon, The Essays, Utilitarianism, Early Modern Period, English Renaissance Period.