Francis Bacon The New Organon Hannah Pulley and Ryan Johnson

Deductive Logic The Syllogism

A=B, B=C, A=C All mammals are warm blooded. All black dogs are mammals. Therefore, all black dogs are mammals.

Everything in nature was created by God. Flowers are a part of nature. Flowers were created by God.

The New Organon

Stuck in Error “The logic now in use serves rather to fix and give stability to the errors which have their foundation in commonly received notions than to help the search for truth. So it does more harm than good.”

Ambiguity "The syllogism consists of propositions, propositions consist of words, words are symbols of notions. Therefore, if the notions themselves (which is the root of the matter) are confused and too hastily abstracted from the facts, there can be no firmness in the superstructure."

The Remedy: Inductive Logic

Monday morning I drank milk and felt sick to my stomach. Tuesday afternoon I ate ice cream and felt sick to my stomach. Wednesday evening I ate yogurt and felt sick to my stomach. Conclusion: I am lactose intolerant.

Dialectic vs Observation "One method of discovery alone remains to us, which is simply this: We must lead men to the particulars themselves, and their series and order." "Man, being the servant and interpreter of Nature, can do and understand so much only as he has observed in fact."

Humans are Stubborn by Nature “The idols and false notions which are now in possession of the human understanding, and have taken deep root in there, not only so beset men’s minds that truth can hardly find entrance, …. Unless men being forewarned of the danger fortify themselves as far as may be against their assaults.

Four Idols Idol of the Tribe Idol of the Cave Idol of the Marketplace Idol of the Theater “The formation of ideas and axioms by induction is without doubt the proper remedy to be applied for the keeping off and clearing away of idols.”

Idol of the Tribe Bacon “For it is a false assertion that the sense of man is the measure of things.” Today: We are still flawed. We still cannot always trust our senses and have to rely on scientific equipment to justify our observations.

The Idols of the Cave Bacon: “For every one has a cave or den of his own, which refracts and discolors the light of nature, owing to…his nature or to his education and conversation with others.” Today: An individuals background is more likely to color their observations of events more than what they actually see. Eg. Religious, paranormal, and cultural explanations instead of scientific.

Idols of the Marketplace Bacon: “There are also idols formed by the intercourse and association of men with each other,… on account of the commerce and consort of men.” Today: People are still easily swayed by words. Advertising is a multibillion dollar industry meant to influence decisions regardless of which products are actually best.

Idols of the Theater Bacon: “There are idols which have immigrated into men’s minds from the various dogmas of philosophies,…because in my judgment all the received systems are but so many stage plays, representing worlds of their own creation.” Today: Media, religion, and prevailing political thought influence us regardless of what may actually be best. Whichever thought we ascribe too builds a world that we must fit in, or we have to leave it.

Conclusion Bacon was right. His way is the best. Hundreds of years later we still refuse to do it his way. Humans cling to their idols rather then leap into the unknown because it is safer.