Bacon, Roger, English philosopher and one of the first advocates of the experimental method in science. Born near Ilchester, England, about 1214 Died probably Oxford, England, 1294.

Bacon was a philosopher and teacher who was dissatisfied with the scholarship of his time and who continually sought new methods of learning. He was interested in any subject that he thought could broaden man’s understanding of the world. He studied languages, mathematics, astronomy, and even alchemy. His belief was that observation and experiment are essential to an understanding of nature.

His writing were among the first to suggest the experimental method in science. Not much known about his life, except that he was a Franciscan monk who was educated at Oxford University and the University of Paris, and that he was often criticized for his outspoken views.

Bacon believed that theology was the highest branch of knowledge, but his firm belief in observation and experiment, as well as his reported interest in magic, angered his immediate superiors in the Church. As a result, he was confined to a monastery for many years. Later, Bacon found favor with Pope Clement IV. About 1266 the Pope asked Bacon to write a general treatise on science. The work he produced, called the Opus Majus ("Creator work"), is the outline for an encyclopedia of all the sciences of his day, portions of these books still exist.