Salomon saith, There is no new thing upon the earth. So that as Plato had an imagination, that all knowledge was but remembrance; so Salomon giveth his sentence, that all novelty is but oblivion.
Francis BaconRead
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Bacon critiques the reliance on established views, arguing that it hinders the pursuit of truth.
Francis Bacon highlights the dangers of adhering to commonly accepted beliefs, suggesting that such beliefs often lead to errors rather than enlightenment. He warns that the logic we use may reinforce these misconceptions, thus obstructing our quest for genuine understanding and knowledge. Instead of advancing our comprehension of the world, such logic can entrench false ideas, implying that a more critical and questioning approach is necessary for discovering the truth.
Themes
TruthLogicPhilosophyKnowledgeMisconception
In practice
Example use cases
In a debate about science and belief, one might quote Bacon to emphasize the need for questioning assumptions.
More from Francis Bacon
All quotes →Nothing doth more hurt in a state than that cunning men pass for wise.
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Truth emerges more readily from error than from confusion.
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Great art is always a way of concentrating, reinventing what is called fact, what we know of our existence- a reconcentration… tearing away the veils, the attitudes people acquire of their time and earlier time. Really good artists tear down those veils
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Wise men make more opportunities than they find.
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Knowledge and human power are synonymous.
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