The becoming of the experimental mode

Abstract

Francis Bacon's experimental philosophy is discussed, and the way in which it not only shapes scientific methodology but also deeply pervades all philosophical and social learning. Bacon draws us in to participate in an experiment with experience. The central driving force is the idea that learning how to learn is necessary in order to know. To meet this requirement, he considers the relation of form and content of pivotal importance, and therefore the selection of the literary form and the form of data inscription is decisive in the construction of a heuristic tool. His inductive method serves a dual purpose: first, the socalled indicative form aims at securing knowledge by a comprehensible procedure that controls and guides hypothetical thinking. Second, the literary forms "fragment" and "aphorism" embody the subjunctive, and invite intellectual openness and even speculation. In this article, special emphasis is put on Bacon's use and justification of the aphorism. Bacon's pervasive experimentalism meets in some sense today's broad adoption of the experimental mode. His philosophy calls for an ontology that is also at work in recent notions of co-action and co-working, or of affordance.

AI models and the future of genomic research and medicine: True sons of knowledge?

“…Thus, Bacon's call for “certain and demonstrable knowledge” and experiments [ 42,43 ] (see also Figure 1) as well as the strong foundation of experimentation‐based conceptions of causation in molecular genetics and biomedical research appear to be in stark contrast to present‐day ML methods.…”

“…Instead correlative associations from observational data are used for predictive modeling of outcomes, [4,51] such as functional consequences of genetic variants, cancer diagnoses or properties of drug candidates. [5,6,52] Thus, Bacon's call for "certain and demonstrable knowledge" and experiments [42,43] (see also Figure 1) as well as the strong F I G U R E 1 Title page for Novum organum scientiarum (second edition, 1645) by the English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon who is often considered as one of the founders of modern science. In this and other work he outlines what he believed is needed to reveal and understand nature: to not only compile as many documented facts from literature and systematic observations as possible but, as a main element, to retrieve new knowledge from nature by experiments.…”

“…In this and other work he outlines what he believed is needed to reveal and understand nature: to not only compile as many documented facts from literature and systematic observations as possible but, as a main element, to retrieve new knowledge from nature by experiments. Intervention in nature by experiments would reveal the secrets of nature better than observing how they “do in their usual course” [ 43 ] . The title page shows a ship passing through the Pillars of Hercules, which symbolized the end of the known world.…”

From Simulations to Accelerated Testing: Design of Experiments for Accelerated Load Testing of a Wind Turbine Drivetrain Based on Aeroelastic Multibody Simulation Data

“…The scientific method as introduced by Bacon [18] revolutionized the way science is conducted, however, it did not provide a framework for conducting experiments [17]. Indeed, Schwarz [19] differentiates the concept of experiment as intended by Bacon from the concept employed today by explaining that the terms used by Bacon to refer to experimentation, "experientia" [20] (p. 71) and "experimentum" [20] (p. 171), were used "both for the unforced observation which we might call experience and for the contrived experience which we might call an experiment" [21] (p. 57), respectively. Schwarz qualifies this by referring to an analogy by Bacon showing his awareness of the limited reliability of "sense-data and sensation" [19] (p. 78) by providing an illuminating quote from his book: "the human intellect is to the rays of things like an uneven mirror which mingles its own nature with the nature of things, and distorts and stains it" [18] (p. 81).…”

“…Indeed, Schwarz [19] differentiates the concept of experiment as intended by Bacon from the concept employed today by explaining that the terms used by Bacon to refer to experimentation, "experientia" [20] (p. 71) and "experimentum" [20] (p. 171), were used "both for the unforced observation which we might call experience and for the contrived experience which we might call an experiment" [21] (p. 57), respectively. Schwarz qualifies this by referring to an analogy by Bacon showing his awareness of the limited reliability of "sense-data and sensation" [19] (p. 78) by providing an illuminating quote from his book: "the human intellect is to the rays of things like an uneven mirror which mingles its own nature with the nature of things, and distorts and stains it" [18] (p. 81). However, despite Bacon's awareness of the "uneven mirror" [18] (p. 81) and its resulting biases, Schwarz maintains that: "The Baconian inductive method does not account for planing or glazing the 'uneven mirror'.…”