„Светлинната физика“ на Роджър Бейкън
The "Light-Physics" of Roger Bacon

Summary/Abstract: This article aims to reveal the metaphysical background of Roger Bacon’s natural philosophy. Bacon attributes all natural causation to the “multiplication of species”. “Species” designates the “first effect of any naturally-acting thing”. It is the virtue or likeness of any natural power propagated from that power in all directions through suitable media. “Species”, or the first immediate effect of any natural action is definite, specific and uniform. As all natural effects are caused by the radiation of natural force, they are expressible in terms of “lines, angles and figures”. Central to Bacon’s philosophy of nature is the notion that all kinds of corporeal change are reduced to the “multiplicative force” of light. Assuming that the propagation of light is susceptible to mathematical analysis, the principal natural science is the Optics. Roger Bacon claims that the so called natural laws are the rules of rectilinear propagation, reflection and refraction of light. Roger Bacon’s theory of natural causation is illuminated by the concept that the basic structure and origin of the physical universe is due to the self-multiplication of light – the first corporeal form.

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