What was Francis Bacon's scientific method and empiricism?

Francis Bacon was an English philosopher and statesman who helped pioneer the modern scientific method through his advocacy for empiricism and inductive reasoning. His investigative framework, known as the Baconian method and detailed in his 1620 book Novum Organum, rejected medieval Aristotelianism in favor of planned, systematic investigations of nature. While his specific methodological proposals did not all endure long-term, his emphasis on a skeptical and methodical approach fundamentally shaped the theoretical framework of modern science.

What we know

• Francis Bacon is recognized as a pioneer of the scientific method and has been called the creator or father of empiricism. [2, 4]
• The Baconian method was introduced in Bacon's 1620 book Novum Organum to replace Aristotelian methods and reject medieval Aristotelianism. [3]
• Bacon argued that scientific knowledge should be built on inductive reasoning and careful observation of natural events, avoiding self-deception through a skeptical approach. [4]
• Bacon's political career ended in disgrace after he was found guilty on corruption charges and imprisoned briefly before being banned from public office. [2, 4]

Where to go next

• how we knowWhat was Novum Organum?
• the bigger pictureHow did the Scientific Revolution develop?
• compared withWhat did medieval Aristotelianism entail?
• whoWho was King James I of England?
• what followedWhat are the core practices of modern scientific method?
• an unexpected connectionDid Francis Bacon write Shakespeare's plays?A 19th-century fringe theory contends that Francis Bacon authored at least some of the plays conventionally attributed to William Shakespeare.

Sources

• [1]Works by Francis Bacon (Wikidata Q8035093) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Works by Francis Bacon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Baconian method · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Francis Bacon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Scientific study · CC BY-SA 4.0