Idols Of The Mind

Throughout our lives our minds can change in many ways, but our minds can also be distorted as they change. Francis Bacon’s “Idols of the Mind” theory call us to look at our distortions and examine our biases. We need to examine our biases in order to find accuracy within our reasoning. Francis Bacon’s Idols of the Mind are valid observations about human nature. Within my own life I am influenced by my culture, my own preferences, the use of accurate or inaccurate language, and what I have been taught to know as truth. I must examine these biases on a daily basis. Furthermore, I find that there is validity to Francis Bacon’s Idols of the Mind. The Idols of the Mind are valid because even though we constantly try to be objective, we still have biases in our reasoning and
The idols aid us in our quest to find the most objective point of view and therefore the most logical reasoning, absent of bias. Bacon puts the general biases into four categories the Idols of the Tribe, Cave, Marketplace, and Theatre. The Idols of the Tribe cover distortions and biases brought on by the society in which we live. I think that we are all influenced, in some way or another, by the culture we were raised in our society. We are taught that certain things are because society says that they are. The Idols of Cave are biases which we ourselves create. I feel that we all see things from our own perspective but if we are unable to see things from other perspectives or objectively our reasoning will be distorted by what is seen as truth alone. The Idols of the Marketplace deal with distortions caused