Weeks, Sophie orcid.org/0000-0002-5782-3871 (2019) Francis Bacon’s Doctrine of Idols:A Diagnosis of ‘Universal Madness’. British Journal for the History of Science. pp. 1-39. ISSN 0007-0874
Abstract
The doctrine of idols is one of the most famous aspects of Bacon's thought. Yet his claim that the idols lead to madness has gone almost entirely unnoticed. This paper argues that Bacon's theory of idols underlies his diagnosis of the contemporary condition as one of 'universal madness'. In contrast to interpretations that locate his doctrine of error and recovery within the biblical narrative of the Fall, the present analysis focuses on the material and cultural sources of the mind's tendency towards error. It explains the idols in terms of Bacon's materialist psychology and his exposé of the debilitating effects of language and traditional learning. In so doing, it highlights the truly radical nature of the idols. For Bacon, the first step towards sanity was to alert people to the prevailing madness. The doctrine of idols was intended as a wake-up call, preparing the way for a remedy in the form of his new method of inquiry. The paper concludes by indicating how Bacon's method aimed to treat 'universal madness', and it suggests that his diagnosis influenced John Locke.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © British Society for the History of Science 2019. This is an author-produced version of the published paper. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher’s self-archiving policy. Further copying may not be permitted; contact the publisher for details. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > History (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 14 Mar 2019 09:50 |
Last Modified: | 25 Mar 2025 00:09 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007087418000961 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/S0007087418000961 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:143674 |