Francis Bacon was an English philosopher, statesman, and scientist during the early modern period of English history. Often considered the father of empiricism, Bacon championed scientific inquiry and the acquisition of knowledge through a methodological approach to the natural world. Though his particular method, the Baconian method, has not endured, Bacon is considered one of the contributors to the scientific method still used today. His works were influential during the Scientific Revolution of the early modern period. Some even maintain that Bacon wrote some if not all of the plays typically attributed to playwright William Shakespeare.
Bacon attended the University of Cambridge at Trinity College, where he conducted the majority of his studies in Latin. In 1597, Bacon became the first recipient of the Queen's Counsel title as a trusted advisor under Queen Elizabeth I. When James I succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603, Bacon was knighted and named Baron Verulam, a title created specifically for Bacon. He became Viscount St Alban in 1621. The titles did not persist, however, as Bacon had no heirs. He died in 1626 at the age of 65 after having contracted pneumonia. One historical account argues that Bacon became ill with pneumonia after conducting his own scientific experiment about the effects of freezing on meat preservation.
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was a prominent figure in 16th-century Britain, and was known for his consistent efforts in creating an academic setting dedicated to the rigorous and meticulous pursuit of gathering knowledge. In his lifetime, he was...
New Atlantis is an incomplete novel written by scientist and scholar Francis Bacon. Left unfinished, it was published posthumously in 1626 within a much longer text on natural history, Sylva Sylvarum. The official title is New Atlantis: A Worke...
The New Organon (often referred to by its Latin title Novum Organum) was published by Francis Bacon in 1620 and if often referred to as his single most influential literary work. In form, it is a philosophical treatise in two parts: the first...
