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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 humans experiences 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.
Bacons idols of the tribe can be seen in 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 Virgin Marys face in a grilled cheese sandwich.
2) Idols of the cave or Idola specus:
This the second type of Bacons 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