Roger Bacon, also called doctor mirabilis, was a natural philosopher and Franciscan monk who was regarded as one of the most controversial figures of the thirteenth century. His revolutionary ideas anticipated the intellectual and scientific revolution of the seventeenth century; in other words, he was ahead of his time. Bacon primarily devoted his life to learning languages, mathematics, optics (which was called perspectives) and experimental science. Many science historians consider Bacon's experiments as his greatest scientific accomplishment.

During Bacon's lifetime, university education was dominated by Christian theology, and classical authorities, such as, for example, Aristotle, were accepted only insofar as their ideas could be reconciled with Christian doctrine. Medieval thinkers, who generally dealt with purely speculative issues, paid little attention to the natural sciences, basically relying on known authorities. While Bacon, faithful to the spirit of the times, believed that all knowledge ultimately comes from God, he strongly...