Francis Bacon: Attack On Authority And Advocacy Of Experimental Science Essay Sample

What intellectual attitude did Francis Bacon believe obstructed new scientific discoveries in his time?

Francis Bacon not being a scientist himself, believed in the discovery of science as the only way of solving most of the world’s problems and improving the way of life of everybody in the world. His strong advocacy for the modern scientific methods made him to be regarded as a prophet who foresaw the nurturing of the current science. He talked of several factors as the main impediments to the achievements of ones goals in life. He gives example of Aristotle who was a great philosopher and one who is respected for the kind of work he did in the world of science. He warns against receiving as oracle the thought f man and opinion of one man. He encourages people to have their own opinions in order to prosper in life and always to think that there is one particular thing they are good at and can perform best.
Using the example of Aristotle in his example, he went ahead to explain that though Aristotle was a great person with great ideas, if we believe in ourselves with our own opinions without depending on others, we deemed to prosper. Aristotle was great and there is always one thing we could do better than him. He says that to some extent, the Aristotle failed to give man the freedom to think; “as much as you may be inferior to Aristotle, you should be given a chance to challenge the nature by showing him that you are not inferior in everything. It should let be known to him that you are a head of him in some matters if not most as a result of lifetime experiences, exposures and experiences.”
2. What method of scientific enquiry did Bacon advocate?
Bacon advocated for the experimental method of scientific enquiry. For example, experimenting with bodies in motion, Galileo formulated a law of falling bodies that he expressed mathematically. In experimentation, Bacon gave supreme value to the direct observation of nature; for this reason he is one of the founders of the empirical tradition in modern philosophy. Within the experimental method as a scientific enquiry method, he appreciated and encouraged collection of data, careful observation in investigation of nature as the only ways of knowing the truth and getting enough knowledge. Because he wanted science to serve a practical function, Bacon praised artisans and technicians who improved technology. In addition, he strongly advocates for self-reliance when it comes to scientific studies; “Are you mad to cast aside your highly valued gifts of time and the only endowment you rightfully own? Come to your realization before you run out of time. Therefore, endeavor to study scientific facts as they occur, but not forever relying on other people’s studies on the same.” Mr. Bacon thinks that a man should be the chief interpreter and the servant of Nature, so that in case of any course of nature, they should be at the forefront of understanding nature and its scientific facts better.
3. What connections can you make between this document and the present?
Francis Bacon’s advocates for the change of thought and the concentration on ones believes in achieving dreams and aspirations. Comparing the current generations with the one stated by Bacon, we find that the current generation is full of pessimism, the main mentality being that the ancient scientists had exhausted the scientific inventions. According to Bacon, the case is quite different and that’s why he is calling upon each person to come out and strive to studying nature in depth, instead of relying in the previous inventions. It’s quite clear and worth noting that the sciences we are currently relying on are mere systems that were put in order to harmonize and set forth what had been previously invented, but not methods and studies on how to make inventions. Such system has left us as servants and fixers of the errors that had been made by these scientists of the old days, but not helping us quench our thirsts for finding more scientific truths. Therefore, the system is doing us more harm than good. We have been hoodwinked to regard such scientific innovations as noble and irrevocable.

Work Cited

Winks, Robin W, and Thomas Kaiser. Europe, 1648-1815: From the Old Regime to the Age of Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print.