Prejudice In Francis Bacon's Novum Organism

The main goal in a human’s life is to seek understanding, whether it be something large scale like to understanding the universe or something smaller scale like figuring out the latest Iphone. Francis Bacon wrote Novum Organism to create a better philosophical understanding of prejudices humans have created when it comes to acquiring and determining truth. He categorized four types of prejudices and named them all different idols: The Idol of the Tribe, the Idol of the Cave, the Idol of the Market-place, and the Idol of the Theatre. Bacon’s purpose was to challenge what people claim to know, based on existing theories about truth, with a more scientific examination. He pushed empirical methods, which relied largely on observation, to solve problems. Bacon believed that truth would be delivered to humans through collected, perceptible data. The first idol Bacon described was the Idol of the Tribe which embodies when humans cannot reason clearly due to the way they have chosen to see the world. One’s imagination is derived from what a person experiences and how they …show more content…
Humans perceive the world they live in differently because of one’s preferences, habits, and different views on life. For example, many people hone in on what has happened in the past during their lifetime while others hyper-focus on the future. As a college student, I cannot stop thinking about what job I am going to get after college or what my financial future will be. This mind set clouds my thinking because it consumes my thoughts when my real focus should be earning good grades now in my general education courses as a foundation to my college education. Francis Bacon’s writings about this prejudice indicate that a human should acknowledge the fallacy of what they tend to focus and strive for a better understanding