The Scientific Method, Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes

1
The Scientific Method, Francis Bacon and Rene
Descartes

• Std. 7.10.3
• I can outline the steps of the Scientific Method
  and explain how Bacon and Descartes influenced
  its development. I can explain how changes in
  scientific thought effected European culture and
  thinking.

2
Rene Descartes
3
Who was Francis Bacon?

• Francis Bacon lived from 1561-1626 in England.
• He came from a noble family and was
  well-educated.
• He held government positions and was made a
  knight.
• He is considered a philosopher (thinker) rather
  than a scientist.
• He studied the writings of the great scientists
  of his time and was very interested in their
  work.
• He did not develop any knew theories. Instead,
  he developed a system to explore the world.
• He taught that scientific study should follow a
  predictable pattern.
• His ideas are found in his many books. The
  Advancement of Learning first laid out his ideas
  in 1605.

4
Who was Rene Descartes?

• Descartes was born in France and lived from
  1596-1650.
• He came from a learned family and was given an
  education which included classical studies,
  mathematics and philosophy.
• He studied law at the university and then took a
  military position with the leader of the
  Netherlands.
• He was interested in a number of topics including
  geometry, optics and meteors. He wrote essays on
  his areas of study and he is famous for his work.
• He is sometimes called the Father of Modern
  Philosophy. He responsible for a very famous
  quote Cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore I
  am.
• He taught that people should doubt everything
  until it could be proven through reason.

5
Development of the Scientific Method

• The thinking/writing of Bacon and Descartes led
  to the development of a procedure for doing
  scientific experiments and research.
• From Bacon comes the idea of a systematic
  process.
• From Descartes comes the idea of requiring proof
  and clear reasoning.

6
The Six Steps of the Scientific Method

• State the problem (define the question)
• Gather information (read other sources and/or
  observe)
• Form hypothesis (proposed solution)
• Perform experiment and collect data
• Record and analyze data
• Draw conclusions from the data collected

7
The Scientific Revolution Effected European
Culture and Thinking.

• Philosophers began applying scientific thought to
  other areas of human life.
• Attempts to use reason and logic for the
  improvement of society caused people to
  reevaluate their governments. This caused a
  resurgence of democratic ideals.
• Growth in the area of science challenged some
  teachings of the Catholic Church. This caused an
  undermining of Church influence.