Francis Bacon was a philosopher, scientist, and statesman who is considered the father of empiricism. He advocated for a method of inquiry that was based on observation, experience, and experiment. He believed that humans should not rely on pure reason and deductive reasoning, but should instead use their senses to gather information and test hypotheses. He called this method the "inductive method" or the "scientific method." Bacon's method of inquiry has been used by scientists for centuries and is still considered one of the most important methods of scientific research.