Francis Bacon b.
1561
In his works the philosopher Francis Bacon argued the case for
scientific knowledge based only upon inductive reasoning and the careful
observation of events in nature. Concerned with understanding the human mind,
he introducing the empirical (scientific) method during the Scientific Revolution,
and was arguably the first person to consider body language from this empirical
perspective. Bacon suggested that gestures provide an indication of the state
of mind and will of the speaker, exploring them as a reflection or extension of
spoken communication: ‘As the tongue speaketh to the ear, so the gesture
speaketh to the eye.’ He saw nonverbal language as the most natural form of
communication, a form not dependent upon the country you came from. He also
believed that looking and listening was equally as important in understanding
conversation.
Read Of the Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine
and Human (1605)
