Francis Bacon (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)First published Mon Dec 29, 2003; substantive revision Fri Dec 7, 2012 Francis Bacon (1561–1626) 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. As a lawyer, member of Parliament, and Queen's Counsel, Bacon wrote on questions of law, state and religion, as well as on contempora
