Six Degrees of Francis Bacon is a project that seeks to map the social network of the the titular figure and those around him. Given the many roles Bacon served during his life, this project contributes to conversations that could be held in historical, literary, political, and philosophical disciplines. The project is openly collaborative, inviting individuals and institutions to contribute and modify the project. The website is hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries and the data can be found in the Folger Shakespeare Library’s digital collections.
The documentation of the source base for the project is not immediately evident, unfortunately. The evidence for this social network is likely drawn from the immense documentary body left behind by the influential figures. In addition to individual connections, evidence was also gathered about membership in various social institutions and groups of individuals who associated together.
The project also expands the definitive connections of individuals by running statistical analysis on how likely it was that two individuals would have met. Individuals were also clearly tagged or otherwise marked in metadata by what their roles were and what spheres they interacted with in society. For example, William Shakespeare is also associated with the groups/categories Lord Chamberlain’s Men, King’s Men, and Elizabethan Playwrights.
The project is presented in the form of a map of the social network. Each individual is represented by a circle, with major figures highlighted by larger circles. The connection between individuals who definitely met are marked in black, with statistically likely connections are marked in grey. Colors of the circles also indicate the degrees of separation: red is the origin figure, pale red is one degree of separation, and an empty circle is two or more degrees.
