Advocates and scholars of science studies have partially attributed the rise of modern science to misogynous sexual metaphors. Bacon, however, seems to have escaped this trap, and Soble writes this chapter in a defense of Bacon’s work. Critics who have referred to the experimental method as being the ‘rape’ of mother nature by the ‘father’ scientist believe that the claimed superiority of modern science, based on experimentation, had foundations of a very misogynous metaphor. The author vehemently denies that Bacon can be described in these terms, let alone being called a proponent of such misogynous tactics. Bacon calls for an active and hands on approach to learning science or in various inquiries that one may embark upon, not merely being a passive observer of phenomenon.
