Francis Bacon (1561–1626) was an English philosopher, statesman and essayist. Lord Chancellor under James I, he fell from power after being convicted of corruption. In the Essays and in works such as The Advancement of Learning and the Novum Organum, he championed a new scientific method based on observation and experiment.
A courtier's son
Francis Bacon was born in London in 1561, the son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal under Elizabeth I. He went to Trinity College, Cambridge, at twelve, then studied law at Gray's Inn and spent several years in France with the English ambassador.
His father's death in 1579 left him with little money. He became a lawyer and a member of Parliament, and sought the favour of the Queen through the Earl of Essex. When Essex rebelled in 1601, Bacon took part in the prosecution of his former patron.
The statesman
Under James I, Bacon's career flourished: he was knighted in 1603, became Attorney General in 1613 and Lord Chancellor in 1618, with the titles of Baron Verulam and Viscount St Alban. He published the first edition of his Essays in 1597 and enlarged it twice.
In 1621 Parliament accused him of accepting bribes from people involved in cases before him. He admitted the charges, while insisting that the gifts had never influenced his judgements. He was fined, briefly imprisoned in the Tower and banned from office.
The philosopher
Bacon devoted his last years to philosophy. In The Advancement of Learning (1605) and the Novum Organum (1620), he argued that knowledge should be built on careful observation and experiment rather than on ancient authority, and warned against the idols, the errors that distort human thinking.
His unfinished utopia, New Atlantis, imagines a society organised around a college of scientists. He died in 1626 after catching a chill. His ideas inspired the founders of the Royal Society in 1660.
Anecdotes
The frozen chicken
According to the gossip-writer John Aubrey, in March 1626 Bacon stopped his coach in the snow near Highgate to test whether cold could preserve meat. He bought a chicken, stuffed it with snow, caught a chill and died a few days later. The story may be partly legend.
Did Bacon write Shakespeare?
In the nineteenth century some enthusiasts claimed that Bacon had written the plays of Shakespeare and hidden his authorship in coded messages. Scholars reject the theory, for which there is no evidence.
Frequently asked questions
What is Francis Bacon famous for?
His Essays, his contributions to the scientific method in the Novum Organum, and his career as Lord Chancellor of England.
What is the Baconian method?
An approach to knowledge based on systematic observation, experiment and gradual generalisation from facts, which Bacon set out in the Novum Organum.
Why did Bacon fall from power?
In 1621 he was convicted of accepting gifts from people whose cases he was judging, and was removed from office.