An Idiot's Guide to Novum Organum by Francis Bacon

Hi Everybody,
I am posting all this to be a helpful tool if you're studying Novum Organum by Francis Bacon. I had an assignment to read it, but I wasn't retaining ANYTHING. I had to do the harder thing...which was summarize every axiom in my own words. It's in English. It's condensed. Hopefully, you can come away from this great work with a deeper understanding of it. Don't forget to read it! It's a wikiSource.


Book 1
1. All man’s actions and understanding come from nature observance.
2. A hand needs knowledge to accomplish anything and vice versa.
3. High knowledge and High Power meet in unity. Nature to be commanded must be obeyed.
4. Man can only gather or divide natural bodies.
5. Nature workers-mechanics, mathematicians, physicians, alchemists and magicians-have little success.
6. New ends require new means.
7. All mind and hand produce from the same few things.
8. Chance and experiment produce more than sciences.
9. The evil of science is we don’t look for the true helps of the human mind.
10. Nature inspires more deep thought than any other though it is not recorded.
11. Sciences find no new works, as logic finds no new sciences.
12. Logic fixes and stabilizes errors with no search for truth. This does more harm than good.
13. The syllogism can not be successfully applied to nature or even a proposition.
14. To be sure of propositions, we must be sure of the facts they are based on.
15. It is impossible to be sure of facts from logic and physic.
16. Facts can be determined from the senses but can also be confused by motion.
17. This same confusion influences common induction and syllogism.
18. Science discoveries are based on only the most vulgar notions.
19. 2 ways to find truth: fast to general truth, slow gradual climb.
20. Logic leads to higher generalities while forgetting experiment.
21. A mind left alone will search by experiment, but needs assistance to progress.
22. Without gradual building of truth from experiment, you only have useless abstract generalities.
23. Idols of humans are empty dogmas. Ideas of divine are marks in nature.
24. Small discoveries of little things lead to bigger ones.
25. Axioms now are based on scanty evidence.
26. conclusions of human reason on nature are anticipations of nature. Conclusions based on facts are interpretation of nature.
27. Anticipation can create consent.
28. to win assent, anticipations are better than interpretations because the few number of examples touch the understanding and imagination.
29. in dogma and opinion sciences, anticipations and logic are good because they win assent.
30. Anticipations of the mind are flawed scientifically from the beginning.
31. new things must be build on foundations, not the old.
32. Bacon wants to guide to new ways and methods, not judge the past
33. he refused to be judged by anticipation
34. Speaking is hard because of no reference
35. He hopes doctrine finds those prepared to hear it.
36. we must lead men to particulars and facts, and the order that follows
37. Not much in nature can be known from our current methods.
38. Idols and false notions fill human minds.
39. Idols of the: Tribe, Cave, Market-place, Theatre
40. Idols should be pointed out and remedied by formation of ideas and axioms by true induction.
induction
INDUC'TION, n. [L. induction. See Induct.]
1. Literally, a bringing in; introduction; entrance. Hence,
2. In logic and rhetoric, the act of drawing a consequence from two or more propositions, which are called premises.
3. The method of reasoning from particulars to generals, or the inferring of one general proposition from several particular ones.
4. The conclusion or inference drawn from premises or from propositions which are admitted to be true, either in fact, or for the sake of argument.
5. The introduction of a clergyman into a benefice, or giving possession of an ecclesiastical living; or the introduction of a person into an office by the usual forms and ceremonies. Induction is applied to the introduction of officers, only when certain oaths are to be administered or other formalities are to be observed, which are intended to confer authority or give dignity to the transaction. In Great Britain, induction is used for giving possession of ecclesiastical offices. In the United States, it is applied to the formal introduction of civil officers, and the higher officers of colleges.
41. Idols of the tribe are founded in human nature.
42. Idols of the cave are founded in individual man
43. Idols of the marketplace are formed by intercourse and association of men with each other.
44. Idols of Theatre are come from multiple philosophies and wrong laws of demonstration.
45. Humans see the world as more orderly than it actually is.
46. Humans back up their opinions with everything they see regardless of truth.
47. Human minds are affected by things that enter suddenly and at the same time. Pulling pieces together like a puzzle is very slow.
48. Human mind is always moving. This makes us believe in infinity and eternity.
49. Affections and will affect every science and how far it is understood.
50. Most errors come from the senses. Yet without them, thought is reduced.
51. Humans give a lot of attention to abstractions
52. Abstractions are idols of the tribe
53. Idols of cave come from different characteristics of each individual.
54. Men take on the sciences they spent more work on and think themselves inventors.
55. Some people notice differences and some commonalities.
56. Some like the old, other the new ideas of the world.
57. Studying parts of a whole are all consuming. Studying the structure of the whole is overwhelming. Time should be spent switching from one to another to achieve understanding.
58. Doing number 57 will destroy the idols of the cave.
59. Men believe reason governs words. True, but only a very small part. Trying to redefine is faulty because those are made of words, so you must use examples.
60. we are either confused by names of things that don’t exist based on false and idle theories which can be dismissed as obsolete., or names of things that do, but are confused, irregular, hasty and ill defined
61. Idols of Theatre are plainly taught.
62. There are many of them. The rational school picks theories from a few examples and gives them no serious thought. Another school educes out and constructs systems. Another looks for origin of sciences in spirits. These are the Sophistical, Empirical and Superstitious as listed.
63. Aristotle corrupted natural philosophy(science?) by logic in way of his categories. He conformed experiments to his will.
64. the Empirical is deformed because of the narrowness and darkness of only using a few experiments. However, leaping to correct experiments, universals and principles too quickly could be very dangerous.
65. Superstitions are the most common and widely spread harms to science. It inspires by flattery. Best to give faith only to faith.
66. Contemplations lead a man to see nature having primary forms and then variations. It is an evil to ask where from, and not where by. Men concentrate too much on the primary form elements, dissecting it until they reach the smallest.
67. Being intemperate about assent establishes and supports idols. Too quick to decide or denying the ability to know anything.
68. Idols must be purged from sciences.
69. vicious demonstrations are defenses of idols and very bad.
70. best demonstration is experience from applied to one experiment from which it came.
71. Our sciences come from the Greeks, Romans, Arabian. The Greeks’ disputations were adverse to truth. The Greeks were boys; prone to rattle on, but slow to generate.
72. The Greeks’ work was flawed because it had no history, only myths.
73. The most noble signs come from fruit. They are sponsors and sureties of philosophies of truth.
74. Signs also come from increase and progress of systems and sciences.
75. Sign of confession of authorities men follow.
76. Universities were once full of disagreements and diversity. There are still questions that have not been settled.
77. Aristotle didn’t kill all other philosophies. He was only better preserved. Matters are decided most poorly by public consent.
78. A birth of time rather than wit.
79. Science suffered because it was never studied at the same time as theology and philosophy which had more golden ages.
80. Once sciences are distributed, they are not nourished.
81. It’s not possible to run a right course when the goal has not been decided.
82. The discovery of a course is anything but logical, methodical or wise.
83. Experience is rejected.
84. Men hinder progress by trying to reverence antiquity.
85. The admiration of current possessions also hinders.
86. most science is presented as complete and finished, even if it’s not.
87. New systems give the old ones no credit. There is not a tie to the foundation.
88. littleness of spirit and smallness of tasks come from arrogance.
89. superstition is the adversary of Science. School teachers narrow the world with textbooks. Access to philosophy is often denied by religion.
90. Thinking and speculating does not happen in classrooms.
91. Science is invented by scholars and rewarded and enjoyed by the common people whether they know it or not. Of course, not all ideas become popular.
92. Lack of reward to science limits it’s growth.
93. Men despair and think things impossible. They give up. We must stay encouraged.
94. The beginning is from God.
95. 2 types: men of experiment-collect and use, men of dogma
96. All natural philosophy is tainted and corrupt.
97. It is impossible to erase all the false errors in a man’s mind.
98. men have given weight to rumors.
99. Mechanics, though needed, rarely experiment beyond their set work.
100. More experiments and methods await to be found. Knowledge will be gained by regular order.
101. Knowledge gained so far by thinking, writing, and experiment, in that order.
102. Many scattered details make clear thinking impossible unless they are brought together.
103. After gathering details, we should study them before plunging into experiment.
104. You should not jump from particulars to axioms to generalities, but move to a steady ascent. Understanding must be weighed down, not given wings.
105. Need a new form of induction
106. Must be able to determine if an axiom is narrower or wider than the particulars it came from.
107. The particular sciences need to be brought back to natural philosophy to progress.
108. No way of improving hope by correcting errors. Men must apply themselves to make useful discoveries from reason, industry, direction and fixed application rather than from accident.
109. men always think of inventions in the terms of the old. Some inventions are a new type of something old from a completely surprising source.
110. Others are a new method of doing something new.
111. More discoveries would be found if men gave up light matters and diversions for serious and sturdy studies.
112. Multitude of details should be encouraging, not the disheartening. They are few compared to inventions of the wit.
113. Someone very busy and in poor health was able to accomplish much(himself). Imagine what some one with leisure and health could do.
114. We lose more by not trying than by not succeeding.
115. I will do my best to give sound and true opinions of my new propositions.
116. This is not a universal theory.
117. I am not writing books from books, but deriving books from axioms from books.
118. One mistake in my book does not discredit all of it.
119. Common ideas are there for reference.
120. Mean and filthy things, as well as pleasant, must be in natural history to show an accurate picture.
121. Some of the ideas are very subtle. They are meant to be light, not fruit. If you don’t like the common or mean things, don’t be a scientist.
122. Does it matter if Atlantis is old or new to the mind? It’s still a discovery!
123. it is ok to think differently than the Greeks!
124. Idols of the mind are abstractions. Divine ideas are the creator’s stamp on creation. Truth and utility are the same things.
125. Bacon wants to leave the scaffolding around his book so others can see how it was built.
126. It is better that we believe we know what we need to know, and believe that knowledge imperfect, than to have no desire and think ourselves perfect.
127. I form a history and tables of discovery to be used for all areas of discovery, not just science.
128. Bacon does not wish to pull down all the current arts, philosophies and sciences.
129. Discoveries do not create hardships, but blessings and benefits. The empire of man over things depends entirely on the arts and sciences because we cannot command nature except by obeying her. Contemplation exceeds greatness of fruit of inventions. Arts and sciences can be used for wicked purposes, but so can every other thing on earth, so it is better to have them for the good they create.
130. if men laid aside received opinions and notions, and refrained from highest generalizations and those next to them, they would fall easily into method of interpret ting nature. The art of discovery can still improve as discoveries continue. This will not be the last book written on the subject.

I'm back from a L.O.V.E. hiatus!

Brad & Manike at Disturbed Concert

And my mother was right! At the beginning of the summer, I listened to countless jokes from my mother. She was utterly convinced that I would come out here to Monticello and fall in love with some hottie farm boy.
I did more than that! I'm getting married! The date is September 20th. The Man is 'Brad' Pipkin from Monticello, UT. This whole summer has been a lesson on the benefits of diplomacy!

Lesson #1
Always say yes to first dates!
First of all, it's polite. No guy wants to get turned down for a first date. If you want to encourage Mr. Right to find you and make you happy, you need to inspire him to see that Vision! Say yes, be jovial, happy, fun, and be yourself. Don't hang all over him. That's not required every minute of a date. Giving him some space to breathe will give him a chance to look at you while you're both at your best--relaxed and with personality shining thru!
Lesson #2
Be Willing To Change Your Mind
If I had known the Brad summary before we met, I would have just said no thank. I used to be a 'stickler' on dating return missionaries with my same opinions, and never dating in the military. I sure would have missed out! Testimonies are made with or without missions. Sometimes you just take different turns.
Having different opinions means we have lots to talk about. I don't have to worry about him making me his life because guess what! He's living his dreams! Just like I am. We have a fuller, richer life from all the variety.
As for the military, I have learned a respect for our armed forces that I never had before. Being personally involved has already shown me that our US Military has the leadership and brains to pull us through whatever is ahead in the future. That is a big change for me.
Lesson #3
Believe in being happy
Don't believe me? Check out this video with Will Smith.
We set ourselves up for so much hardship in dating by assuming what the world calls a realistic view. You expect to have fights; you expect to raise your voice, cuss and yell. You expect to fight a power war; sometimes you're stepping on his neck and sometimes you're really insecure. You expect him to do the same. But none of this makes you happy.
What if you really could have a honeymoon marriage?
What if you could solve concerns you have calmly without fighting or unnecessary pain?
What if you could build up feelings of love continually so that your marriage would never die?
Let's admit it. People don't get married just to have someone else balance the checkbook. People get married because they are deeply in love. If that love isn't there, is it really a marriage?
Or just an economical arrangement?
Economics aren't the glue for a marriage. Love is.
And Love leads to family.
When I took political economy during my sophomore year at George Wythe University, none of us had a wide perspective. The first definition we were opened to was "the workings of a home".
Clearly, a home is started by a family which begins most often with marriage. I say it that way because college lesson #789 was home and family are essential as your everyday support regardless of your marital status. I created many of them. Now I'm choosing to start another through the institution and covenant of marriage. Our goal is the same; be happy because we're together.
So obviously, in this chicken and egg story, Love comes before marriage. It creates it, before and after the ceremony. Creating love is labor, but it's an exhilarating adventure! As all creation is.
So when people ask me, "Are you sure? Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"
I just smile and say, "Yes."
To the never-ending adventure
Happily Ever After

Talking with the Authors...only at GWC

Platonic Dialogue between me and Condoleezza Rice
This is what happens when you go to George Wythe College. You end up having long arguments with the authors of every piece of writing you see in your head as you're reading. I usually have lots of questions too. Those questions could be expanded into an entire essay on their own!

Quote from Rethinking the National Interest: American Realism for a New World

Condoleezza Rice, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2008

“What has changed is, most broadly, how we view the relationship between the dynamics within states and the distribution of power among them. Or the interplay between them. As globalization strengthens some states, it exposes and exacerbates the failings of many others what if globalisation purposely targets and uses theories meant to weaken or strengthen different countries? Oxygen good for humans, carbon dioxide good for plants. Purposely using plants to create a certain environment and consequences become pronounced. -- those too weak or poorly governed to address challenges within their borders and prevent them from spilling out and destabilizing the international order.some things can’t be kept in. what are they? How is international order so destabilized? In this strategic environment, it is vital to our national security that states be willing and able to meet the full range of their sovereign responsibilities, both beyond their borders and within them. You don’t act like they’re responsible. If they can’t handle something on their own, you don’t make them do it. You make them turn responsiblilty over to someone more capable. Like an international alliance that takes their sovereignty. This new reality has led us to some significant changes in our policy. We recognize that democratic state building is now an urgent component of our national interest. Who is the real audience here? Are you truly concerned for the world, or just yourselves? If a good principle is good for us, it should be good for others too. And in the broader Middle East, we recognize that freedom and democracy are the only ideas that can, over time, lead to just and lasting stability, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Lots of things like monarchy, tyrnanny, communalism, and dictators can lead to stability. Only a few ideas lead to freedom and democracy. Is stability our real end goal? If so, many paths will lead us there, and I suspect we’re on one of them.

God don't bless America

For the longest time, I've always gotten mad at the words to the song God Bless America. To me, the song was a dark mockery of patriotism. The irony of it all was that upstanding Americans sing about the freedoms they have while freedom is stolen away in the very same night. Americans watch celebratory fireworks imitate the explosions of a war that blind them to War's real repercussions. Hence, the song pricked my heart with frustration and despair.

Not anymore.

I celebrated Independence Day on the 3rd of July in Lander, WY this year. I enjoyed a dance of actors, music, stories from the Founders and fireworks in the most comforting and hopeful 4th of July program I've ever seen. Listening to the voices of Jefferson, Adams, Washington and Wythe pressed upon me the depth of sacrifice that was made to give us the legacy of our country. Their voices pressed upon me the depth of sacrifice we must be prepared to give to keep it alive.

In the future, we may be poor. We may be cold. We may be hungry. We may weaken to despair. But we must be strong enough to make it through.

Even now in the luxury of comfort, that seems a hard task to ask. Our lives now seem like we are running down a road with only a cliffhanger ending. At some point, you will be flying through the air facing a harsh death. But despite one road, there are many endings to this thriller.

An artist will imagine many. You can die of a heart attack before you hit the ground. You can be sucked into the cliff and roll to a rocky death. You might put out your hand to grab the side and slide down slowly. Or you can spread your arms and fly…

It doesn’t matter when you start trying to fly. You might be rolling on the side of the cliff or just now jumping from the road. There are hundreds of possible tools you might be using. There are hundreds of possible endings for one cliff jumper. Some will be measured as failures. Some as successes. Others will remember to measure themselves against no one but their own better selves.

This is how we can be strong enough to make it through. Forget that! We will be invincible and undefeatable in our glorious lives. Our stories will be told for millennia. With the faith to create, Glory never dies.

I don’t know yet what sacrifices I will be asked to give. Maybe you do. Chances are you already have the tools to do the tasks that will be asked. Use them. Practice them. Create with them. In the coming years and coming days, the world will seem blacker than any night. Then, when there are none others, We will be the Stars.

T. Paine

George Wythe College mentors me...www.gwc.edu
Comanity funds me...www.comanity.com