Idols of the Market Place

With his comments on the Idols of the Market Place, Bacon steps firmly into the realm of Semiotics. He lists these Idols as the words that we use to communicate with each other and calls attention to how much they influence our understanding. A contemporary example of this would be the terminology used to define the place where I am writing this article. If I say that I am writing at my desk , images of stout office furniture (probably made of wood or simulated wood) are conjured up in the reader's mind. But if I say that I am writing at my workstation, the reader might have a different mental image altogether. In this case, the thing that supports my computer and my coffee cup has not changed one atom, but the perception of the item in the reader's mind has changed due to the word used.

Other, more poignant examples of these Idols of the Market Place can be found in the realm of politics where partisans put forth a great deal of effort to fix a label to a certain situation in the hope that the label will influence public opinion. This use of semiotics as a method of persuasion has become so common in American politics that it has acquired its own term: spin .

A clear instance of this sort of spin is frequently used when discussing the issue of using Federal funds to provide medical treatment to certain segments of the population. Those that support the idea often use the phrase Healthcare Reform , relying on the concept that the word reform will carry with it several ideas to the public's interpretation of the issue: the first is that there is something wrong with the present state of the health care system and that it needs repaired, the second is an association with positive grassroots reform movements of the past (e.g., the Reformation, tax reform, etc.)

On the other hand, those that are against the idea of federally funded health care frequently use the phrase Socialized Medicine ; which carries with it the negative associations that Americans have with Socialism. In both cases, the opposite sides are talking about the same thing, but by their choice of words they are slanting their communication in an effort to create Idols.

Idols of the Theater

The last set of Idols that Bacon names are the Idols of the Theater. Bacon refers to these idols as “various dogmas of philosophies” and then goes on to explain that what he really means are the systems for understanding that men apply to acquired knowledge. In more modern terms we might replace the phrase Idols of the Theater with the terms models or paradigms .

Although Bacon was specifically referring to the writings of Aristotle (among others) when he was bashing the Idols of the Theater, a more current example of how such a paradigm might influence our understanding can be found in the popular acceptance of the works of Sigmund Freud. According to Freud, our persona is made up of three parts: the Id, the Ego, and the Super Ego. This model or system has become so much a part of our culture that it is even commonly presented in cartoons; with the devil of the Id and the angel of the Super Ego perched on the shoulders of the character (the Ego). While the character in the cartoon faces a decision, the two parts of the personality battle for control of the Ego and try to sway the character to perform some action. Because of the broad acceptance of this system, we often view any of our own personal ethical struggles with this model in mind.

What This All Means

By pointing out these four Idols, Bacon gives us the ability to recognize how they influence (and limit) our understanding of the world around us. The benefit of this is that by acknowledging our predispositions we are free to critique our own judgment and perception. This can provide us with a much more objective point of view on any topic. The disadvantage is that without caution we can enter into an endless loop of self analyzing and second guessing our ideas to the point that we begin to think that it is impossible to know anything.

Now that the Idols have been defined, it is possible to readdress the issue of misinterpreting the title of this article without any shame. Any preconceived notions about bacon were simply due to the Idols of the Mind and not the fault of anyone in particular. And now that I have thought about it, I have come to the conclusion that writing this article has done little more than produce yet another Idol. Not wanting to be accused of adding another piece of mental baggage for someone else to deal with, I will now leave my desk/workstation in search of a decent BLT sandwich.

on to the Semiotcs of Bacon IV (notes)

back to the Semiotics of Bacon II