Descartes and Bacon

René Descartes's method involved four steps. The first was to accept only true things, that could be proven with evidence. The second was to break down a problem into two steps. The third was to deduct conclusions. The fourth was to make a more general statement about the subject.

Francis Bacon created four categories of false knowledge, also known as idols. The first was called idols of the tribe, which was what humans perceived. The second, called the idols of the cave, was what individuals interpreted about the world based on themselves. The third was called idols of the market-place, and was a problem of language, and confusing words. The fourth, called idols of the theater, is made up of the wrong theories, based on false evidence.

There were differences between the two men. Bacon took the path of the law and politics. For a while, he held a position of high power in the government. Descartes however, worked more with geometry and algebra. In Bacon's approach, he takes things from more specific examples and makes them broader. He looks at specific examples, then makes generalizations, and broadens his thinking. Descartes does the opposite, and makes things broader to more specific. He takes a general topic, and breaks it down into smaller, more detailed pieces.

Although their methods were different, these two philosophers had things in common. To start out, they both rejected what was accepted in science, and demanded more specific and accurate evidence to support theories. They both touched on the fact that what humans perceive is not always accurate. Descartes and Bacon though to break down a problem to it's smallest possible parts, to find out what it's made of. These two men both needed evidence to prove a theory, rather than simply having a belief with no proof, like religion. Both men sparked the idea to believe things that could only be proven with evidence. Once certain people caught on to this way of thinking, they were less of believers to their religions. Bacon and Descartes encouraged experiments, to find proof for theories, sparking the scientific revolution.