BACON’S BITS (OF WISDOM)

A Critical Reading of “The Four Idols”

W H Y B A C O N W R O T E “ T H E F O U R I D O L S ”

Prove Aristotelian logic wrong

Thought deductive logic produced error

MAIN RHETORICAL STRUCTURE

Enumeration

1. Idols of the Tribe

2. Idols of the Cave

3. Idols of the Marketplace

4. Idols of the Theater

Gives preview of each before going into detail

IDOLS OF THE TRIBE

Human nature to assume order

Emotion clouds objective reality

What makes us human limits understanding

Things unseen lead to superstition (spirits)

Nature is chaotic

Reminds me of Michael Shermer’s The Believing

Brain

IDOLS OF THE CAVE

Individual subjectivity clouds truth

Want something to be true, even though it is not

Deals with a person’s own interests/proclivities

Reminds me of the concept of “qualia”

Ramachandran discusses

IDOLS OF THE MARKETPLACE

Deals with language

Language can obscure meaning

Definition is important: “terrorist” for example

Cleave and cleave

Reminds me again of Socrates and Derrida

IDOLS OF THE THEATER

Traditional systems of thought that cloud truth

Religion

Faith

Superstition

Example: “Earth is the center of the universe.”

CRITICISM FOR “THE FOUR IDOLS”

Bacon never foresaw the hypothesis as a tool for

science

Deduction and induction can be used in

conjunction for greater effect

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do you agree with Bacon?

2. What is an example of a current Idol of the Tribe?

3. What is an example of a current Idol of the Cave?

4. What is an example of a current Idol of the Marketplace?

5. What is an example of a current Idol of the Theater?

6. Do you feel that this has some relevance for your life?

7. How does this fit with what we have discussed with

Daytripper?

WHAT’S THE WARRANT

Bacon’s underlying assumption (warrant) in this

essay is that if people understand these four ways

that we may be distracted from objective

truth/reality, we can avoid moving away from truth

and, instead, move toward it.

F I N

I couldn’t resist adding a picture