Francis Bacon - a leading figure in the history of science - never made
a major discovery, provided a lasting explanation of any physical
phenomena or revealed any hidden laws of nature. How then can he rank as
he does alongside Newton? Bacon was the first major thinker to describe
how science should be done, and to explain why. Scientific knowledge
should not be gathered for its own sake but for practical benefit to
mankind. And Bacon promoted experimentation, coming to outline and
define the rigorous procedures of the 'scientific method' that today
from the very bedrock of modern scientific progress. John Henry gives a
dramatic account of the background to Bacon's innovations and the
sometimes unconventional sources for his ideas. Why was he was so
concerned to revolutionize the attitude to scientific knowledge - and
why do his ideas for reform still resonate today?