By liberty arlee and varnét Sir Francis Bacon “secretary of nature” By liberty arlee and varnét

background Statesman Lawyer Jurist He was an Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England* *he was dismissed from his political career disgracefully. -he was accused of 23 of separate counts of corruption

Father of the SCIENTIFIC METHOD Sloth bear

Major contributions and beliefs His ideas were influenced by the era of the scientific revolution He introduced the theory of inductive reasoning (scientific method) On sensory perception: in order for something to exist it is recognized and/or defined outside of its physical existence Anti-Aristotlian “knowledge is power” Other forms of reasoning are dangerous (combining of church and state)

induction The acquisition of new knowledge from your observations Albert Einstein said that science works oppositely of induction normally CONTROVERSEY: 1. How do we form opinions from things we don’t see? 2. Are the conclusions from these observations justified?

FOUR idols of the mind Humans must free their minds from these “false images” before they can attain new knowledge. 1. Idols of the Tribe: false concepts due to societal norms 2. Idols of the Cave: an individual’s preconditioned condition (personal history, likes/dislikes) 3. Idols of the Marketplace: confusion in communication 4. Idols of the Theatre: preconceived philosophical systems taken for granted

Bacon v. Aristotle Bacon thinks that more can exist outside of what we can see, hear, taste, touch, etc. Further explores the “forms of nature” – goes beyond sense perception Aristotle thinks that what you see is all that exists and if you cannot see it, then it does not exist because you can not prove its existence Based on sense perception

utopia Bacon had this idea of a utopia for himself. His utopia was: Discovery of knowledge by future generations Generosity, enlightenment, dignity and public spirit utopia

Sources Simpson, David. Francis Bacon (1561-1626). Internet Encyclopedia Of Philosophy. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.iep.utm.edu/bacon/>. Klein, Juergen, "Francis Bacon", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = <http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2009/entries/fran cis-bacon/>. Landry, Peter. Bluepete.com. Web. 09 Feb. 2011. <http://www.blupete.com/Literature/Biographies/Philoso phy/BaconTOC.htm>.