What is Francis Bacon's Novum Organum?

Published in Latin in 1620 by English philosopher Francis Bacon, Novum Organum outlines a new system of logic designed to replace Aristotle's traditional syllogism. The work introduces the Baconian method, which relies on empirical investigation, careful observation, and inductive reasoning to interpret nature. Its famous title page depicts a ship passing the Pillars of Hercules, symbolizing the departure from ancient ideas into a new era of scientific exploration.

What we know

• Novum Organum was written in Latin and published in 1620 by English philosopher Francis Bacon as part of his larger work, The Great Instauration. [1, 2]
• The title of the book references Aristotle's work Organon and details a new system of logic known as the Baconian method. [2, 3]
• The method involves reduction and inductive reasoning, utilizing specific tables of presence, absence, and degree to determine the cause of a phenomenon such as heat. [2, 4]
• The title page features a galleon passing the Pillars of Hercules to symbolize the breaking through of old scientific ideas in favor of empirical investigation. [2, 5]

Where to go next

• how it workedHow does the Baconian method use inductive reasoning?
• compared withWhat was Aristotle's Organon?
• the bigger pictureWhat role did Francis Bacon play in the Scientific Revolution?
• whenWhen was The Great Instauration published?
• a case in pointWhat do the Pillars of Hercules represent in navigation history?
• an unexpected connectionHow was the famous title page art sourced?The iconic title page depicting a ship passing the Pillars of Hercules was liberally copied from a 1606 navigational guide by Andrés García de Céspedes.

Sources

• [1]Novum Organum (Wikidata Q585046) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Novum Organum · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Francis Bacon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Works by Francis Bacon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Pillars of Hercules · CC BY-SA 4.0