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The Idols of the Tribe are the natural weaknesses and tendencies common to human nature. Because they are innate they cannot be completely eliminated, only recognized and compensated for
Our senses - Which are inherently dull and easy to deceive
Our tendency to discern more order in phenomenon than is actually there. As Bacon points out, "We are apt to find similitude where there is actually singularity, regularity where there is actually randomness." i.e. one might think that if a person wins a game in the lottery in a certain town that other people in that town will have similar luck when there is actually no connection between the events.
Our tendency towards "wishful thinking". We have a natural inclination to accept, believe, and even prove what we would prefer to be true.
Our tendency to rush to conclusions and make premature judgments instead of gradually and painstakingly obtaining evidence.
i.e. a baseball broadcaster notices that the batter has previously hit home runs on each of previous two Tuesdays; thus, he predicts that because it is Tuesday the batter will hit another home run.
Our perceptions of the world is tainted by our favorite area of learning and our personal experiences.
Negative: The Idols of the Cave describe how perception blinds people. Their view of the world is tainted by the things that they have knowledge about
and an opinion of.
This limits their ability to see things as they really are.
Positive : The Idols of the Cave also help
people to relate things that happen
and connect with others because of
similar beliefs and experiences
Growing up in a small town or a big city changes their view of the world. Culture shock happens because of the idols that are present in their different cultures.
The Marketplace
The Idol of the Marketplace is Bacon's description
of how people attempt to describe thoughts by using words. Words are misunderstood because when defining a word, words are required (this becomes a circular reasoning problem).
We are programmed to categorize opinions, emotions, and thoughts. Example -Slang, phrases that are commonly used here in America but don't make sense in other cultures. Ie. Your pulling my leg.
Positive - It allows language and more effective communication to be established. People use words that are widely accepted and understood.
Negative - It confuses language, because singular words can have multiple meanings. i.e. Clever can be either smart or tricky.
The Idols of the Theater include large groups such as religion, education, and political parties that affect a person's perception of the world.
Religion: Relies on scripture and clergy for its philosophical teachings. i.e. Religion is supposed to encourage virtues such as forgiveness and love for others, but in the name of religion some of the worst atrocities of all time have been committed.
Political systems (democracy, communism, etc.)
The assumption that people will act and work in certain ways, however, idols of various kinds and limitations in the plans themselves may keep the political systems from functioning as they have been expected to in theory.
Example, a certain political party only votes for their favored party because they believe it to be the only "right" way. They don't listen to speeches or learn the true beliefs of the positions of parties. They only vote with the party they associate themselves with.
Education: the transfer of knowledge can easily be corrupted by stagnant ideas, or by the prejudices of the teacher. i.e. Teachers within schools may have a lot in common with their view on a particular subject. They present their information in a biased way and that is how the students learn what they believe to be truth
Positive: people are able to have comfort by knowing their group believes the same as they do. They might be able to find "direction" or a "guideline" on how they should live their lives and don't have to go out of their comfort zones very often.
Negative: the view of accepting others opinions is over looked. People tend to believe that their way is the only way. Truths can be stretched and distorted as more and more members ad their opinions and ideas to the group and then those ideas become adapted by the whole.
Works Cited
Hall, Manly P. "Four Idols of Sir Francis Bacon." n.d. March 2012 <http://www.sirbacon.org/links/4idols.htm>
Owens, Jeffery. Four Idols of Francis Bacon Janessa Proctor. March 2012
The End
The Cave
The Tribe
Example
The Theater