Francis Bacon and Rene’ Descartes Development of the Intellectual Model

Natural Knowledge Path toward physical improvement of human nature – COMMAND the process of nature Movement away from religious explanations Empiricism – role of experience and evidence discounted the notion of innate ideas – emphasizes aspects of scientific knowledge that are closely related to evidence Experiments Scientific method – Hypothesis and theories MUST be tested against observation of the natural world

Francis Bacon “father” of empiricism – BUT actually created a climate for scientific study You can do it! Criticisms – People pay too much attention to the classics “everything” was already know

New World Ancient thinking in an ancient world – Humanism: best era was antiquity Bacon’s belief – Material improvement THRU empirical study Increase power of monarchies and government – Government support of science – Supported by the experience of explorers He made no major contribution to science

Rene’ Descartes Discourse on Method – Intellectual authority came from a person’s OWN reason God-given reason could not be false – God does not deceive Two categories (no place for spirits, nonmaterial) – Thinking things (mind) Human reason can understand the world  induction – Things occupying space (body) Scientific induction – Generalizations drawn from test hypothesis

Ways to obtain knowledge Why? Control nature, create useful inventions, improve standard of living Francis Bacon (England) – Inductive reasoning (empirical method) – Specifics  generalities “all of the cows I have ever seen are spotted.” One might, in turn, say that therefore all cows must be spotted. This is not actually the case, but given the available information, one might be forgiven for thinking it. Rene Descartes (France) – Deductive reasoning Doubt everything – Generalities  specifics – It is possible to arrive at an unsound result by using an initial premise which is false, as in this case: Every animal that eats mice is a cat. Rover eats mice. Therefore, Rover is a cat.