Bacon Induction

Bacon Essay

Francis Bacon had an idea of using induction to help the human mind understand and gain truthful knowledge of the natural world. The induction proposed by Bacon is different than the ones used in the past by Aristotle. This new method will bring about the most general axioms, using latent process, latent schematisms, and tables of presence, absence, and comparison. He identifies idols that inhibit our human understanding to gain true induction along with certain examples of certain idols and how to go about correcting them.

Bacon considers induction “to be that form of demonstration which upholds the sense, presses down upon nature and is intent on and closely bound up with works (Bacon 1994, 21).”The method starts from sensible experiences and moves to lower axioms, which are formed from tables of presence, absence, and variation. Classic induction used by Aristotle and others starts from sense and particulars, goes up to the most general, and then works backwards, via deduction, to arrive at middle level axioms. “For the induction of which the logician’s talk, which proceeds by simple enumeration, is a childish affair, unsafe in its conclusions, in danger from a contradictory instance, taking account only of what is familiar, and leading to no result (Bacon 1994, 21).” Bacon points out the problem in this theory is that if the general axiom is false, all the middle level axioms may also be false causing the whole idea to fall apart. To help with this issue, Bacon proposes a new method. The new method is to proceed slowly and gradually from one axiom to another and to test each axiom by observation and experimentation before moving to the next step. By proceeding this way, each confirmed axiom becomes a step up to a higher truth, with the most general axioms being achieved last. The complete process is something like the joining together of a long, systematic chain. From the more general axioms, Bacon believes we will reach more...