Jan 24, 2008

Sir Francis Bacon

Sir Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (22 January 15619 April 1626) was an English philosopher, statesman, and essayist. He is also known as a proponent of the scientific revolution. Indeed, according to John Aubrey, his dedication may have brought him into a rare historical group of scientists who were killed by their own experiments.

His works established and popularized an inductive methodology for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method or simply, the scientific method. In the context of his time such methods were connected with the occult trends of hermeticism and alchemy[citation needed]. Nevertheless, his demand for a planned procedure of investigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, much of which still informs conceptions of proper methodology today.

Bacon was knighted in 1603, created Baron Verulam in 1618, and created Viscount St Alban in 1621; without heirs, both peerages became extinct upon his death. He has been credited as the creator of the English essay.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sir F. Bacon was born - 22 January 1561 - that's the 22nd! You missed it by Two days!

Capn said...

Yes... but the bacon was what came out of Congress, BaconLover...

PORK