Sir Francis Bacon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sir Francis Bacon - Essay Example Bacon's thoughts on science are closely associated with those of Galileo. A benefit of the early Renaissance was the rediscovery of the writings of those living in antiquity. With the new reading of Galileo, Sir Francis Bacon rejected the form of speculative reasoning that dominated the Middle Ages. Bacon believed that if you wanted to really know about something in nature, you needed to approach your study in a methodical manner, gathering real data that was observable and recordable. He states in his book The Great Insaturation, "There are and can be only two ways of searching into and discovering truth. The one flees from the senses and particulars to the most general axioms [laws]†¦The other derives axioms from the senses and particulars. This is the true way but yet untried. Bacon believed that if you wanted to understand soil or rocks, you would gather many different samples or specimens, study them and then let the facts of your study form new ideas about the natural worl d. Bacon melded his ideas with those of Galileo, formalizing them into a general theory of inductive reasoning that became known as empiricism (McKay 1992). Empiricism is the backbone of the scientific method utilized by students and scientists universally in modern times. Sir Francis Bacon believed that this new approach to knowing and understanding the natural world would radically change societies. He believed firmly that this new knowledge would give humans greater control over the natural elements .