Francis Bacon influenced the rise of the new science and its separation from the humanities through identifying "idols" or biases that distort human understanding. Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued that education should follow the natural development of the child away from society's corrupting influences. Johann Friedrich Herbart developed an educational theory based on the psychology of learning, proposing that education should aim to form children's character through a five-step method. Lev Vygotsky introduced the concept of the "zone of proximal development" to describe the difference between what a child can do independently and what they can do with guidance and collaboration.