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Bacon’s biggest contribution of science was to incorporate theory and practice. He thought that theory leads to practice and practice enables the growth of theory.
Because of Bacon, medieval sciences were challenged and many scientists started creating a new body of knowledge using his scientific method.
Bacon’s approach led to discoveries and inventions that influenced the Enlightenment, the Scientific Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
Without Bacon’s work there would be no modern science. Even today every scientist will still go through the scientific method before conducting an experiment.
Bacon’s ideas were instrumental in the founding of the Invisible College in 1645. which turned into the Royal Society that received a charter from King Charles II. in 1660. The Invisible College was based on Bacon’s idea that knowledge is power and used Bacon’s scientific method and his idea of a cooperative research institution.
Sir Francis Bacon
Christopher Wren, acclaimed English architect
Issac Newton - groundbreaking work on optics
Robert Hooke, publicized his microscopic worke
Robert Boyle, defined chemical elements and studied gases
Edmund Halley, investigated movement of heavenly bodies
Scientific Method
Aristotle and other medieval scientists
Bacon had to understand them first before he could reject their approach
Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) was one of the earliest scholars that used the Baconian approach to science in his book Pseudodoxia Epidemica.
Close relationship to the church
Impacted the way he approached his studies and the goals he set for himself since he thought that scientific understanding would bring people closer to God.
Bacon inspired the creation of the Invisible College and the Royal Society (see next slide).
Humanist belief
The English philosopher and physician John Locke and the 18th century logicians David Hume and John Mills were also influenced by Bacon’s scientific method.
Humanism also placed high value on rationalism and empiricism and focused on the goal that science should improve the circumstances for human beings.
John Locke
(1632-1704)
Progress in astronomy and mechanics
The great French thinkers Voltaire and Diderot used Bacon’s ideas of impartiality, openness, and tolerance.
Many instruments were invented (telescopes, microscopes) which helped Bacon’s empirical approach because he was able to use them as tools for his experiments.
Voltaire (1694-778)
Bacon’s ideas of science reform were not well-received by Queen Elizabeth.
But despite facing general prejudice from the establishment, Bacon went largely unchallenged because he did not contradict the Anglican Church.
Bacon also was part of the English government and later had the favor of King James I. who was the head of the church.
Bacon became a reputable philosopher of science after he published Novum Organum in 1620.
Bacon stated that science was compatible with his religious faith. He thought that the current approach of medieval sciences was wrong and could not reveal God’s greatness.
His improved approach to the sciences would allow man to understand the universe better, let him grow closer to God and make people more faithful.
So instead of challenging religion, Bacon argued for the cooperation of science and religion,
Therefore, Bacon was not under as much scrutiny from the church.
Bacon’s scientific method is a method of induction. This method gathers empirical data through observation, experimentation and measurement. It gradually generalizes a finding based on those data.
In the scientific method only one variable is changed during an experiment, and other factors stay the same to find a true cause and effect relationship.
Bacon thought that the universe was a problem to be solved and not something that was given forever. He was sure that science would eventually find out about all the secrets of the universe if it used the scientific method to investigate nature.
Bacon's main criticisms were that
(1) scholars did not realize that a person’s perception of reality is affected by their own beliefs and opinions,
(2) once scholars believed something, they would only focus on evidence that supports this belief and ignore contradicting thoughts, and
(3) scholars thought that there was more regularity in this world than there really is (planets do not move in perfect circles).
Bacon proposed to build a new science based on true beliefs. But first, scientists had to overcome four categories of prejudices of the mind, the idols:
False notions due to limits of human insight
Problems of language and the confusion of words and terms.
Scientists follow their preconceived ideas about things and think that there is more order in this world than there really is.
Scientists follow academic dogma (philosophers) and do not ask questions about the world.
Bacon struggled with the existing scientific methods as early as 1603.
He rejected the medieval thought that was based on dogmas and
superstitions and criticized Plato, Aristotle and also humanists and
Renaissance scholars like Paracelsus and Bernadino Telesio.
Despite holding Aristotle in high regard, Bacon found that his cosmology
and theory of science were outdated and that his approach of hasty
generalizations led to many errors in science.
He also objected to Aristotle’s approach that science should be done to satisfy the mind.
Works Cited
"Francis Bacon." Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy. Stanford University, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/francis-bacon/>.
"Francis Bacon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bacon>.
"Francis Bacon biography." Bio. bio.True story, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/francis-bacon-9194632>.
"The Scientific Methods of Rene Descartes and Francis Bacon." thingsrevealed. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://www.thingsrevealed.net/dscrtbacn.htm>
"Francis Bacon on the New Scientific Method (1620)." rintintin.colorado. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://rintintin.colorado.edu~vancecd/phil1020/Bacon.pdf>.
"Evolving the Scientific Method." the-scientist. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/29382/title/Evolving-the-Scientific-Method/>.
"Bacon and Galileo on Science and Religion's Relationship." History Suite 101. Canada, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://suite101.com/article/bacon-and-galileo-on-science-and-religions-relationship-a374403>.
"Baconian method." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baconian_method>.
"Francis Bacon." blogspot/ Henry's Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://seth9history.blogspot.com/2012/12/francis-bacon.html>.
"Influence and Reputation." Francis Bacon Society. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://www.francisbaconsociety.co.uk/francis-bacon/influence-and-reputation/>.
"The Invisible College (1645-1658)." Technical Education Matters. Dr. Richard Evans, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://www.technicaleducationmatters.org/node/168>.
"Isaac Newton." Wikpedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton>.
"John Locke." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Locke>.
"Nicholas Bacon (Lord Keeper)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Bacon_(Lord_Keeper)>.
"Pseudodoxia Epidemica." Blogspot. Ersby., n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://ersby.blogspot.com/2012/10/pseudodoxia-epidemica.html>.
"Arabick Roots. ‘Arabick’? Ask the Royal Society. London Dispatch by Ray Moseley." alarabiya. Alarabiya.net English, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2011/06/18/153771.html>.
"Royal Society." hubpages. james-a-watkins, n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://james-a-watkins.hubpages.com/hub/Royal-Society>.
"Sir Edmond Halley." teacherlink. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Sept. 2013. <http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlnasa/reference/ImagineDVD/Files/starchild/docs/StarChild/solar_system_level2/edmond_halley.html>.
"Voltaire." Wikipedia. Wikimedia/Wikiqoute, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Voltaire>.
"Brain Bulb pic." Brain World. GPB, n.d. Web. 2 Sept. 2013. <http://researchonmedical.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Brain-Bulb.jpg>.
January 22, 1561 - April 9, 1625
Parents: Sir Nicholas Bacon and his second wife, Anne Bacon
Instead, Bacon thought that science should pave the way for practical solutions and help people solve their problems.
In The Advancement of Learning (1605), Bacon compared human understanding to a false mirror that distorts the nature of things.
Home-schooled because of poor health
Entered Trinity College in 1573 and was taught by the future
Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. John Whitgift
Dr. John Whitgift
Education followed the medieval curriculum:
Cicero, Demosthenes, Hermogenes, Livy
Sir Nicholas Bacon
Very soon he started to sharply criticize the methods of academic training and tried
to look for a new system of sciences with a focus on empirical methods.
Became a lawyer, politician and Member of Parliament
Hoped that his political career would help him gain influence and spread his
ideas of the advancement of science.
Knighted by King James I. in 1603 who supported his scientific ideas
Published his book Advancement of Learning in 1605 -
described current state of learning and suggests improvements
Published his book Novum Organum (New Method) in 1620 - described his scientific method
Anne Cook Bacon
Political career ended in 1621 due to corruption charges, continued with scientific exploration
Died in 1625 while experimenting with ice to test preservation of chicken meat