Before the 16th Century the works of Aristotle were the most trusted sources, be it in logic, metaphysics, or syllogism. His followers had compiled his works in one volume. The logic was mainly about Aristotle’s views which were respected and regarded as complete. Even renowned scholars held the notion that there was nothing else to discover or add after Aristotle’s work, others believed that anyone who could oppose such works was confused or ignorant. However, not all were in agreement. This saw the emergence of Francis Bacon as a formidable figure to reckon with as he published his own volume (a newer version of Aristotle’s). Bacon developed a new method of conducting scientific inquiry. He popularized this method which was the use of induction to arrive at scientific conclusions. He demanded that humanities and sciences be subjected to a well-planned procedural analysis and investigation. His method revolutionized the way things were done especially in science, of which some of his methods are still in use up to date. He developed a method known as the scientific method, which argues and proves that; science and society are inseparable.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) hailed from England and was a decorated man during his life. During his career, he held numerous high-profile posts in government. He had acted as the attorney general, solicitor general, Queen’s Counsel, regent, lawyer, scientist, jurist, Lord Chancellor, but he is mainly credited and remembered as the man who crafted the scientific method. He was educated at home and then ‘‘he entered Trinity College Cambridge, on 5 April 1573 at the age of twelve’’ (Venn & Venn 45), and it was while at this place that he met Queen Elizabeth and got acquainted. His uncle was a Baron. He held the conviction that his mission was to uncover scientific and social truth, serve his country with all his soul and get dedicated to his church as well. Having such convictions, he sought high posts in government as he believed this was the only way he could accumulate wealth to meet his goals. He was however heavily in debt throughout his life and this led to his disgraceful dismissal from the government. He was a shrewd man who supported the government of the day to enable him to attain his goals.
Bacon’s influence in both science and philosophy was instant. Before his theory, it was generally accepted that deduction was the method of science and humanities; any other method was not authentic. The deduction school of thought holds that knowledge in any field especially science can only be attained by subjecting the topic hand to deductive logic. Deduction entails the use of particulars, constructing premises that depict the nature of the topic and then arriving at a universal conclusion, for example, john cries, James cries, and then the conclusion becomes all men cry. It is difficult and almost impossible to come up with any scientific discovery while using such a method. This is so as it moves from particular to general. One has to know the specific particular to come up with the universal general limiting the scope of scientific experiments.
The status quo was however changed by Francis Bacon. He came up with the scientific method, which employed inductive reasoning. He employed the tact that you first assemble all that there is and all that you know. Subject the general things to systematic and procedural analysis. This entails eliminating the premises that are not consistent with facts until you arrive at a particular truth. This employs the method of rigorous experiments and case studies. His method also involves isolating and further conducting, a thorough investigation, of the natural forms and causal agents keeping a note of convergent and consistent methods as compared to divergent and irregular methods. To arrive at a conclusion that is objective, Bacon suggests that one must rid oneself of various biases that could affect the outcome of the experiment. He pointed out that one must do away with preconceived notions and ideas pertaining to the subject at hand then put one’s appetitive nature at bay, these are likes and dislikes. After that one should avoid language complications, do not look for other meanings of a language other than the one common in use. Finally, he championed for people to be curious and question-asking.
To him, people should not accept what they are taught without subjecting it to worldly conformity. His scientific method was thus advocating for the use of sense perception rather than being an idealist. His method gave science a major boost as experiments and tests increased. He advocated that all hypotheses and theories cannot say to be authentic and carry conforming information if not tested against what can be evidently observed in nature. He refuted the use of traditions, myths, intuition and popular folk beliefs. Evidence was paramount to him. Science in the contemporary world is believed to be empirical as Bacon had advocated.
Bacon did not see the difference between science and other human activities. He lobbied the government to employ science in the day-to-day learning of the state and forwarded the idea of the creation of a ministry of science a fete he never realized. He saw his method as a perfect policy to be integrated into the system for direct application in the day-to-day running of the state. To him, science and philosophy were indispensable tools for the development of policies in government. He viewed history as too repetitive and to prevent this he was endeavoring to make rational the future of the government. For history to befit man appropriately, he felt that methods used in the past should be integrated with present experiences, analyzed together to yield the best-preferred methods for tackling civil cases.
He also held religion in high regard. He compared the Bible’s counsel to the scientific method, he depicted the book of Jeremiah where people are advised not to discard their past rather compare it to the present phenomena, look for consistency and if any follow it. This to him was like his method of induction.
He believed in the purity and omnipotence of God. He saw wide knowledge in philosophy as necessary for greater insights into religion, scarcity or lack of enough knowledge to him led man to denounce religion. Bacon cautions that lack of faith in God causes many upheavals and cites the time of Augustus Caesar as a good case where civil unrest was widespread. For him, it is better not to believe in God than to have an impression of him as unworthy. But it is best for man to believe in God as denial of God denies man nobility. Bacon’s belief in religion has a major connection with the contemporary protestant faith. He notes “They that deny a God destroy man’s nobility; for certainly man is of kin to the beasts in his body; and, if he is not of kin to God by his spirit, he is a base and ignoble creature.”(Bacon 32).
To Bacon, science and society are intertwined, interdependent and exhibit a symbiotic relationship. He believed that his inductive scientific method could be used in every sector involving a man. He used his inductive methods even when he was holding political office; he found favor in the eyes of the Queen and later King James. Science to him spurns from wonder. Taking all there is, whether in ethics religion, politics, or even in literature. After this assembly then comes classification into different categories and further dividing possibilities from impossibilities. Subjecting the general beliefs and accepted truth, to experiments and testing so as to arrive at particular actual facts that are objective. Science cannot be selective as all societal activities can yield scientific knowledge and scientific knowledge can aid people in improving society.
Francis Bacon laid a major foundation for scientific investigation. ‘‘Bacon has been called the father of empiricism’’ (Ross 45) and empiricism has become the foundation of science. Science, especially in the contemporary world has helped in the improvement of human life and standards this is like in medicine, transport, communication and so on. Bacon’s inductive methods have been used in the delivery of judgments and ethical constructions. He authored many works of which the majority were published posthumously. Though he took bribes, it is noted that his ruling was objective and even went against the wishes of those who bribed him. He was so concerned about how science could benefit man that he contracted pneumonia in an experiment on how to preserve food. He had gone out in snowy weather to experiment with how food was affected by snow which paved way for the discovery of the refrigerator. The pneumonia was very severe ‘‘whereby the defluxion of rheum fell so plentifully upon his breast, that he died by suffocation’’(Rawley 09).
Works Cited
Bacon, Francis. The Essays of Lord Bacon. London: Longman and Green Co., 1875.
Rawley, William. Resuscitation, or, Bringing into Public Light Several Pieces of the Works, Civil, Historical, Philosophical, & Theological, Hitherto Sleeping; of the Right Honorable F Francis Bacon…Together with his Lordship’s Life. York: York House publishers, 1657.
Ross, Jackson. The Companion to Shaker of the Spear: The Francis Bacon Story. England: Book Guild Publishing, 2005.
Venn, J. & Venn JA. Alumni Cantabrigienses vol 10. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1958.