Thoughts from Francis Bacon

Sir Francis Bacon was a noted English scientist and statesman. The foundation of scientific reasoning has been attributed to him. Bacon once stated, "Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man."

Exactness is necessary for every scientist. It is the quality of being precise instead of being approximate. It is the quality of being accurate instead of being incorrect. Why is this quality so important when we approach science? First, because it details how minute we can be. How detailed our information is. How pointed our research is. Second, because it indicates how closely we can replicate our findings and our experiments.

In regards to Bacon's quote, how does writing make us exact? It makes us consider carefully what we are saying. Once words have been written down, it is even harder to retract them than spoken words. Also, the mere process of writing forces us to carefully weigh what we are writing. As we approach science, therefore, writing about our findings helps us to hone our research.