Francis Bacons Four Idols

According to Sir Francis Bacon (1561 1626) our understanding of, and
interaction with, the world is affected by four mental filters which he calls idola
mentis or idols of the mind to emphasize the problem of constructing false
images and notions of the world.
I have chosen to write about three of these idols and then shed light on real life
experiences using the Baconian method.
1) Idols of the tribe or Idola tribus:
Bacon ranks this as the first idol or mental filter that hu a s e perie es go
through and which thereby obstruct their ability to reason clearly. This is due to
the fact that human senses are fallible. Therefore our perception of the world is
very likely to be inadequate. This idea is consonant with Platonic and Kantian
philosophy whereby they have distinguished between the world as it appears
to the senses; hence, the phenomenon, and the world without the senses;
otherwise referred to as the noumenon.
Ba o s idols of the tri e a

e see i Pareidolia which is a psychological

phenomenon where the mind perceives a random stimulus such as an image or

sound as being significant and meaningful. This phenomenon is prevalent in
religious circles as people report about the sight of Jesus, the Virgin Marry or
the word Allah in ordinary objects. One of the famous examples is the sight of
the Virgi Mar s fa e i a grilled heese sa d i h.
2) Idols of the cave or Idola specus:
This the se o d t pe of Ba o s idols, which is created by adulterating human
nature with nurture. Thus, our perception of the world is distorted by books we
read, education we receive and the company we keep. This results in individual

tastes and preferences, individual personalities and prejudices. An example

redole t of this idol is Platos Allegory of the Cave where people are being told
and shown only what they are required to perceive as being true. Hence, the
shadows that they see on the walls and which they surmise they are real are
mere distortions and discolorations of true images. In real life situations, the
effect of the idol of the cave on our thinking is evident in the process of
indoctrination whereby ideas, attitudes and cognitive strategies are inculcated,
which leaves no room to questioning or critical thinking. According to Bacon,
idols of the cave emanate from education, habit and accident.
As regards to the effect of the idol of the cave on human understanding, Bacon
argues that the outcomes are individual biases whereby individuals are either
uncertainty avoidant or ambiguity tolerant, or biases by which individuals are
inclined to focus on penetrating understanding at the expense of focusing on
comprehensive perception or vice versa. Bacons recommends that individuals
strike a balance between these two types of contemplation.
The life of organizations illustrates this point as employees are expected to
internalize a set of values and assumptions in order to measure up to the status
of a professional. As a result, individuals act accordingly to the detriment of
their personal self. The personal challenge for a professional who assimilated a
particular organizational culture is raised by Bacon who exhorts us to hold in
suspicion whatever our mind seizes and dwells upon with peculiar satisfaction.
The challenging part resides in the fact that we do not like to admit that what
our authority figures have taught us might be unbeknownst to us, and that we
do not like to admit that we are mistaken. Therefore, as Bacon, observed,
e er o e hooses to re ai i a

a e or de of his own which refracts and

dis olors the light of ature (New Organon , XLII section).

3) Idols of the marketplace or Idola fori:

Ba o s third t pe of idol arises fro

our a

iguous use of la guage; he e

the abuse of words, which is the byproduct of the interaction and association
of between people. Bacon argues that words can cause philosophy and the
s ie es to e o e falla ious a d i a ti e. It follo s that a ill a d u fit
hoi e of

ords

o derfull o stru ts u dersta di g i so ial as well as in

academic circles (New Organon, LVIII section).

As a matter of fact, in daily language, we still talk about sunrise and sunset
which is obviously a misuse of language in light of the evidence suggesting that
the sun does not rise and set. Such a misuse was also demonstrated by the
Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) in The Blue Book
where he distinguished between the object use of the first su je t pro ou

and its subject use. Thus, in the object use, there is recognition and
identifi atio of a parti ular perso , as i

I ha e roke

ar

. Whereas i

the su je t use there is o su h re og itio or ide tifi atio , as i

I see so-

and-so a d I hear so-and-so . Can we point here to the body that sees and
hears the same as in the case of pointing to the body whose arm got broken?
Wittgenstein maintains that philosophical problems arise from such a
convoluted use of language. This is an example that demonstrates how limited
language is to express different states of thinking, which lead us consequently
to adopt wrong assumptions.