Novum Organum
by Sir Francis Bacon
Novum Organum is the book that created the scientific method as we know it, and formed the basis for modern empirical thinking. In this book Francis Bacon details a system of logic and information gathering, based on observation, and which emphasized being methodical and experimental. Francis Bacon was one of the leading figures in natural philosophy and in the field of scientific methodology in the period of transition from the Renaissance to the early modern era. And his writings continue to influence the world through every new scientific discovery made in the world today. Novum Organum takes its title from Aristotle's much earlier work Organon, which is a six part lecture on logical analysis and dialectical discourse.
"On the first day of creation God created light and nothing else, devoting an entire day to a work in which no material substance was created. We should follow suit: with experience of any kind, we should first try to discover true causes and axioms..." - Novum Organum page 19
"We have to assume that the force behind everything is God; for our subject matter—·namely nature·—is good in such a way that it plainly comes from God, who is the author of good and the father of light. Now in divine operations even the smallest beginnings lead unstoppably to their end. It was said of spiritual things that ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation’ [Luke 17:20], and it is the same with all the greater works of divine providence: everything glides on smoothly and noiselessly, and the work is well under way before men are aware that it has begun. And don’t forget Daniel’s prophecy concerning the last ages of the world: ‘Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased’ [Daniel 12:4], clearly indicating that the thorough exploration of the whole world is fated to coincide with the advancement of the sciences." - Novum Organum page 32
