"But if any man there be who, not content to rest in and use the knowledge which has already been discovered, aspires to penetrate further; to overcome, not an adversary in argument, but nature in action; to seek not pretty and probable conjectures, but certain and demonstrable knowledge;--I invite all such to join themselves, as true sons of knowledge, with me, that passing by the outer courts of nature, which numbers have trodden, we may find a way at length into her inner chambers." - Francis Bacon, Works, IV, 42.

This image of Bacon shows him in the presence of nature, trapping a viper under a long pole with a sharpened edge. The viper's head is raised to show it's pain as Bacon towers above it, looming large amongst the backdrop of nature, insensitive to the creature's pain.

Francis Bacon has been called the "Father of Modern Science." Throughout Bacon's writing, and regardless of his audience, the theme of inherent human weakness is a central theme of his arguments. His analyses of human nature proved to be his strongest contribution to the revolution of the style of philosophical writing. By speaking of human weakness, Bacon intended to portray

the underestimation of potential that human beings hold. According to Bacon, humans are content with what knowledge they possess and do not wish to increase it for fear that they are not able to do so.

Bacon believed that human control over science, experimentation, and domination over physical nature for our purposes should be taken advantage of. In his writings, he differentiated between the creators of knowledge and the users of knowledge before proceeding to make a case for a new method of the use of philosophy for those interested in invention and creative research, encouraging the use of nature as the raw material of science.