 In the seventeenth century, Europe was steeped in a dense, uncompromising dogmatism where tradition allowed for no other avenue to truth than through Aristotelian logic. This was until Sir Francis Bacon ignited the blaze that would illuminate the path to a scientific revolution. This was not spontaneous combustion as Bacon took inspiration from an earlier English philosopher of the same surname, Roger Bacon. The philosophy of Francis Bacon went against the deductive reasoning that dominated the age and introduced the inductive method of reasoning in which the premises are viewed as supplying some evidence for the truth of the conclusion. Bacon placed supreme emphasis on experimentation and thought the results of said experiments should be carefully recorded so that later generations would have a reliable and repeatable conclusion to base future experimentation on. It's through this innovation that the name Sir Francis Bacon would ring through the corridor of history as genius and become synonymous with the scientific method that we know today. The twentieth century historian and philosopher Will Durant said, It was Bacon who rang the bell to call the wits together, and Europe had come of age. His method combined the process of carefully observing nature with the systematic accumulation of data. This process is put forward in three main steps. Step one, accumulate specific empirical observations about the characteristic being investigated. Step two, classify these facts into three categories, when the characteristic is present, when it is absent, and when it is present in varying degrees. Step three, through careful examination of the results, reject notions that do not seem to be responsible for the occurrence and identify possible causes responsible for the occurrence. Bacon said this in his first publication named in Praise of Knowledge. Now we govern nature and opinions, but we are thrall unto her a necessity. But if we would be led by her an invention, we shall command her an action. I would say that Bacon's prediction that through science human life would improve has been proven beyond any argument to be correct. One must only look to the average life expectancy of a human being to see this. In just under 400 years since the publication of Bacon's method, a mere blip on the radar of human history, the life expectancy of human beings has doubled from an average of 40 in the 17th century to near 80 here in the 21st. He believed this goal of human progress through scientific invention was handicapped by the blind following of the works of Aristotle, which was preventing independent thought and the ability to acquire new knowledge about nature. He categorized this disillusionment into four categories of false knowledge known as the four idols. These idols were idols of the tribe. These false notions are common to all human beings for people seek evidence that supports their own conclusions. The issue here is that beliefs become corrupted by what people want to believe and are no longer reliable. Bacon proposed this golden rule to shield from this idol. He said whenever the human mind dwells on something with particular satisfaction it should be held in suspicion and that care should be taken when dealing with such questions in order to keep the understanding even and clear. Bacon stated if a man will begin in certainties he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin in doubts he shall end in certainties. Number 2. Idols of the Cave These errors are particular to the individual and come about as a result of an individual's disposition. Some hold this idol more than others but make no mistake no matter how shallow we all reside in a cave of our own. Number 3. Idols of the Marketplace These arise from the commerce or association that people take part in with one another, as well as from the flawed exchange between the different human languages. Number 4. Idols of the Theater This holds in a basic sense that intellectual progress should not be held back by old discoveries, that philosophies are no better than plays that focused on smart but foolish arguments rather than the natural world. To Bacon, progress stands at a halt because we take old, questionable propositions at face value and never think to put this assumption to the test of observation and experimentation. After all, truth is the daughter of time, not of authority. These idols must be set aside to begin anew in our quest for knowledge. The philosophy of Sir Francis Bacon emphasized examination over speculation and set out to explain science with tangible proof instead of pure logic. If I could summon one from the past to the present I believe I would choose Francis Bacon. I can think of no one else who would appreciate the marvel that is modern science as he, the one who stood at its foundation and looked to its clouded peaks with hope and admiration. I agree fully with the American philosopher Lauren Einzli when he made this remark that Bacon, more fully than any man of his time, entertained the idea of the universe as a problem to be solved, examined, and meditated upon rather than as an eternally fixed stage upon which man walked. I'm curious, if given the opportunity, which of history's great men and women would you bring to the present day? Which hero, great thinker, artist, would you wish to see rise again? If you enjoyed this video make sure you subscribe and like the video, as always, thank you for talking philosophy with me, until next time.