A novum organum is a new instrument or method of reasoning that is used to gain knowledge about the natural world. The term was first used by Francis Bacon in his 1620 work Novum Organum, which argued for a new approach to scientific inquiry based on observation and experimentation rather than on traditional deductive reasoning. Bacon's novum organum was based on the idea that the senses are the only reliable source of knowledge about the natural world, and that all knowledge should be based on empirical observation and experimentation. He argued that the traditional deductive method of reasoning, which starts with general principles and then uses logic to derive conclusions, is unreliable because it is based on assumptions that may not be true. Bacon's novum organum was a revolutionary approach to scientific inquiry, and it laid the foundation for the modern scientific method.