Francis Bacon: Prophet of Science

Scientist, philosopher, and prolific writer Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) was indeed a “Prophet of Science.” Bacon made significant contributions to the society of the early seventeenth-century England in the fields of science, law, politics, and philosophy, writing and publishing several scientific, religious, and literary works. His best-known work, the Great Instauration (1620), was initially published in two parts. The first part, The Advancement of Learning (1605), was the first major philosophical work published in English and focused on the current state of knowledge, barriers to research, and his plans for the revival of education. The second part, Novum Organum (The New Method) (1620) is the foundation of the modern scientific method. While he made no direct contributions to scientific knowledge, his Baconian method and concept of inductive reasoning created a framework for research. These contributions changed the knowledge discovery process for the better. In addition to his development of the scientific method and its concomitant reliance on inductive reasoning, Bacon also made significant contributions in the areas of ethics, cooperative discovery, and removal of researcher bias. This chapter describes Bacon’s background, motivations, and contributions to scientific thought, a cornerstone of modern education.