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SAMAYASARA
BACON AND SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Francis Bacon who felt the inadequacy of the old Aristotelian method of intellectual discipline proposed a new method suitable for modern scientific research, in his book called Novum Organon'—The New Instrument. This new method suitable for scientific research, Bacon describes in detail. According to him it should neither be purely iinaginary as the spider's web spun out of its own body nor it should be merely mechanical collection of facts by observations like the ant. Scientific method inust aclopt the way of the honey-bee which collects materials from various sources and transforins them into useful honey. Such an intellectual transformation of facts observed will ultimately unlock the secrets of Nature for the benefit of man. Such a discovery of Nature's secrets for the purpose of utilizing them for social reconstruction ought to be the ideal of science according to Bacon. In order to successfully apply such a scientific method, Bacon prescribes certain conditions as a necessary intellectual preparation. Generally the mind of a scientist may be crammed with certain traditional beliefs and superstitions. Such preconceived notions which Bacon calls Iclola' shoull be entirely got rid of and the student of science should approach Nature with ari unbiassed open inind which alone will give a correct insight into the Laws of Nature. This experimental method prescribed by Bacon if adopted by a student of science will give inductive generalisations relating to the constitution of Nature and her Laws, generalisations which would be of a certain amount of high probability. Though the inductive generalisations arrived at by scientific research do not have the absolute certainty, characteristic of mathematical propositions, they were considered by Bacon to be of great practical value for the benefit of mankind. This attitude has been perfectly justified by the development of modern science with the practical application of scientific generalisations which have transformed the life of man in the modern world. Such a reconstruction of human society based upon scientific achievements was foreseen by Bacon in his essay on the New Atlantis. This new experimental approach to Nature has conquered for science, realm after realm, departments of Nature as Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Geology etc. This successful conquest of the realms of Nature by science resulted in complete elimination of mind of man as a factor for interpretation of natural events. This elimination of consciousness completely from the field of research ultimately resulted in scientific reconstruction of Nature as a huge mechanical system in which the Law of Causation was the only principle of operation. In this mechanical system all events are guided by necessary causal conditions. There is no scope of intellectual interference either to modify or to suppress the occurrence of natural events according to the desires of inan. The old thought which entertained the possibility of interference
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