the 17th century, Europe was steeped in dense uncompromising dogmatism where tradition
allowed for no other avenue to truth than through Aristotelian logic. This was until
Sir Francis Bacon ignited the blaze that would illuminate the path to a scientific
revolution. This was not spontaneous combustion as Bacon took inspiration from an earlier English
philosopher of the same sir name; Roger Bacon. The philosophy of Francis Bacon went against the
deductive reasoning that dominated the age and introduced the inductive method of reasoning in
which the premises are viewed as supplying some evidence for the truth of the conclusion. Bacon
placed supreme emphasis on experimentation and thought the results of said experiments should
be carefully recorded so that later generations would have a reliable and repeatable conclusion
to base future experimentation on. It’s through this innovation that the name Sir Francis Bacon
would ring through the corridor of history as genius and become synonymous with the scientific
method that we know today. The 20th century historian and philosopher Will Durant said
“It was Bacon who rang the bell to call the wits together, and Europe had come of Age.”
His method combined the process of carefully observing nature with the
systematic accumulation of date. This process is put forward in 3 main steps.
Step one – Accumulate specific empirical observations about the characteristic
being investigated. Step two – Classify
these facts into three categories. • When the characteristic is Present.
• When it is absent. • And when it is present in varying degrees.
Step three – Through careful examination of the results, reject notions that do not seem
to be responsible for the occurrence and identify possible causes responsible for the occurrence.
Bacon said in his first publication named In Praise of Knowledge “Now we govern nature in
opinions, but we are thrall unto her in necessity; but if we would be led by her
in invention, we should command her in action.” I would say that Bacon’s prediction that through
science human life would improve has been proven beyond any argument to be correct. One must only
look to the average life expectancy of a human being to see this. In just under 400 years since
the publication of Bacon’s method, a mere blip on the radar of human history, the life expectancy
of human beings has doubled from an average of 40 in the 17th century to near 80 here in the 21st.
He believed this goal of human progress through scientific invention was handicapped by the blind
following of the works of Aristotle which was preventing independent thought and the
ability to acquire new knowledge about nature. He categorized this disillusionment into four
categories of false knowledge known as The Four Idols. In summary these idols were;
1). Idols of the Tribe
These false notions are common to all human beings; for people seek evidence that supports
their own conclusions. The issue here is that beliefs become corrupted by what people want
to believe and are no longer reliable. Bacon proposed this golden rule to shield from this
idol. He said whenever the human mind dwells on something with peculiar satisfaction it should
be held in suspicion. And that care should be taken when dealing with such questions in order
to keep the understanding even and clear. Bacon stated “If a man will begin in certainties he
shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin in doubts he shall end in certainties.”
2). Idols of the Cave These errors are particular
to the individual and come about as a result of an individual’s disposition.
Some hold this idol more than others, but make no mistake; no matter how shallow we
all reside in a cave of our own. 3). Idols of the Marketplace
These arise from the commerce or association that people take part in with one another,
as well as from the flawed exchange between the different human languages.
4). Idols of the Theater This idol holds in a basic
sense that intellectual progress should not be held back by old discoveries, that philosophies
are no better than plays that focused on smart but foolish arguments rather than the natural world.
To Bacon progress stands at a halt because we take old questionable propositions at
face value and never think to put this assumption to the test of observation and experimentation.
After all “truth is the daughter of time, not of authority.” These idols must be set
aside to begin anew in our quest for knowledge. The philosophy of Sir Francis Bacon emphasized
examination over speculation and set out to explain science
with tangible proof instead of pure logic. If I could summon one from the past to the
present I believe I would choose Francis Bacon. I can think of no one else who would appreciate
the marvel that is modern science as he, the one who stood at its foundation and looked to
its clouded peaks with hope and admiration. I agree fully with the American philosopher
Loren Eiseley when he made this remark; that Bacon “More fully than any man of his time, entertained
the idea of the universe as a problem to be solved, examined, meditated upon, rather than as
an eternally fixed stage upon which man walked.” I’m curious; if given the opportunity which of
history’s great men and women would you bring to the present day. Which hero, great thinker,
artist would you wish to see rise again? If you enjoyed this video make sure you
subscribe and like the video. As always thank you for talking philosophy with me, until next time!