A Negative View of Sensory Perception - Essay Example

English 9th May, Connections between Plato’s and Bacon’s Epistemology Plato’s main concern in his Epistemology is the question of how we know what we know. Francis Bacon likewise is concerned with the same question, although he poses it in different terms. This paper examines the fundamental issues that each of these two philosophers raise. The paper also discusses how well these two authors agree on basic issues; for instance, the paper discusses the extent to which Francis Bacon warn us to beware of the evidence of our senses, and also, the extent to which Bacon is concerned about getting to the truth as Plato is. Let us begin by looking at the fundamental issues that these two scholars raised. On his part, Plato raised the important point that human senses are deceptive and can mislead one into equating sense perception with the reality. According to Plato, human senses do not lead to true knowledge. In his Epistemology, the role of senses is only to trigger the human soul to recollect or to remember what it already knew before it was joined with the body. In his epistemology, Plato believed that physical material world that we experience through our senses is an illusory world, and that the real world exists in the world of forms. For that reason, therefore, Plato held that the material world that we experience through our senses is a shadowy reflection of the actual forms of reality that exist in the real world. Plato was of the view that before human soul is joined to the human body, the human soul exists in the spiritual world of forms, and for that reason, therefore, the human soul had perfect knowledge of the forms of things, before it was joined with the body that made it to forget the forms that it knew when it existed in the world of forms. For Plato, therefore, since the true objects of knowledge are in the world of forms, the shadowy material objects in the world that we experience through our senses cannot yield true knowledge. For Plato, therefore, human senses are deceptive and cannot lead us to true knowledge. The other important issue that Plato raised is that ignorance is a form of mental prison, and that enlightenment frees human mind. In the allegory of the cave, Plato explains analogically how human mind is prisoned by false beliefs and how education and enlightenment frees human minds. In the allegory of the Cave, Plato gives an analogy of some prisoners who had been chained in a cave since their birth. Since the prisoners in the cave were chained and immobilized, the prisoners were unable to turn around and they were only able to gaze at a wall in front of them. A fire blazed behind the prisoners in the cave, and there was a raised walkway between the fire and the prisoners in the cave. Various actors (the puppeteers) walked along the walkway between the fire and the prisoners, casting their shadows into the wall of the cave. In this analogy, Plato explains that the prisoners in the cave believe that the shadows of the puppeteers that they see in the wall are the reality. Plato goes on to explain that if one of the prisoners is unfettered and made to turn and look into the real people who cast their shadows into the wall of the cave, the prisoner would be surprised to learn that what he had all along believed to be the reality is a mere shadow of the reality. Plato goes on to explain that if the freed prisoner gets out of the cave, he would first be dazzled by the light of the sun and he would be dumbfounded to lean that what he thought was the reality in the cave was a mere illusion. If the freed prisoner goes back to the cave to explain to the other prisoners that all what they see is shadows and not reality as it is, the other prisoners would find it hard to believe in him and they would think that the freed prisoner is mad. Using this allegory, Plato explained that people living in ignorance are like the prisoners in the cave. Plato explained that it is only through study and enlightenment that can help people to see the reality as it is, and to avoid confusing shadowy world of senses with the reality. Francis, on the other hand, raised the fundamental issue that there are various hindrances to true human understanding. Bacon highlighted four idols that he explained are the hindrances to human understanding; For Bacon the four idols of knowledge are the limiting preconceptions that strangle thought, observation, and imagination (Author Surname, 580). These four idols or impediments to human understanding are the idol of the tribe, the idol of the cave, the idol of the market place, and the idol of the theatre (Author’s surname, 582.). The following is a brief explanation of the four idols of Bacon. The idols of the tribe: According to Bacon, idol of the tribe refers to the hindrances to understanding based on the human nature; Francis bacon conceived idols of the tribe as having their foundation in human nature itself, or in the race or tribe of human beings. Bacon conceived idols of the tribe as belonging to the whole human race because all human beings have deceptive beliefs that hinder them from understanding reality as it is. For instance, due to the idol of the tribe, Bacon argued that human beings have a tendency of falsely trying to make things fit into pattern. Also, due to this idol, human beings don’t want to think deeply and they look for evidence to support their biased conclusions. Idols of the cave: according to Bacon, idols of the cave refer to the impediments to understanding based on the individual weaknesses or limitations; for Francis Bacon, the idols of the cave are the idols of the individual man. For instance, some individuals have natural inclinations to favour similarities while some other individuals favour differences. Idols of the Market Place: for Bacon, idol of the market place refer to the hindrances to understanding based on words. Francis Bacon conceived the idols of the market place as the idols the idols that result from the intercourse and association of human beings amongst themselves. For instance, people imagine and name things that are non-existent. Idols of the Theatre: according to Bacon, idols of the theatre refer to the hindrance in understanding that results from relying on false authorities and traditions. According to Bacon, the idols of the theatre result from dogmas of philosophy, religion, or any other field of study, and from wrong laws of demonstration. For Bacon, relying on traditions and authorities can hinder one from understanding the reality as it is. The other fundamental issue that Bacon raised in his epistemology is the view that sensory perceptions can be deceptive. Although Bacon wasn’t overly critical of the sense perceptions like Plato, Bacon, however, warned that we should beware of the sensory perceptions least they deceive us. Bacon was of the view that we can only trust sensory perceptions if we have the right reason to believe in the perceptions. A critical look at the fundamental issues that both Plato and Bacon raise in their epistemologies shows that these two authors agree on basic issues. This is because both of these scholars are agreed that there are serious impediments to human understanding that obstruct human beings from knowing the truth. For Plato, these impediments lies in the fact that human senses are deceptive, since they sense shadowy material words and not forms of things, and for that reason Plato believed that human senses obstruct human beings from knowing reality as it is; for Plato, it is only study, philosophical studies to be precise, that can help human beings to reason beyond the shadowy world of senses and to understand that there is another perfect world of forms. Just like Plato, Bacon also believed that there are serious impediments to human understanding; Bacon, however, understands and explains the impediments to human understanding in different terms. For Bacon, the impediments to human understanding lies in general human nature, individual personality, language that human beings use to communicate, and the traditions and authorities upon which human beings base their investigations and knowledge. For Francis Bacon, these four impediments or idols, as he called them, hinders human beings from knowing the reality as it is; Bacon argue that, it is only by overcoming these four idols that one can gain the true knowledge of reality. This fact, therefore, shows that Plato and Bacon are agreed on the fact that there are serious impediments to understanding, and that human beings can only gain true knowledge of reality by overcoming these impediments. The other similarity between Plato’s and Bacon’s epistemology is that both of these two scholars have a negative view of sensory perception. Although Bacon did not distrust sensory perceptions completely like Plato and he believed that sense perceptions can lead to true knowledge, Bacon, however, was critical of sensory perception and held that sense perceptions can sometimes be deceptive. In conclusion, Plato and Bacon were both concerned with getting to the truth. These two scholars believed that there are serious impediments to human understanding and that these impediments can only be overcome with education and enlightenment. Work Cited Read More