Classics of Western Thought and Culture -- Bacon's Wisdom

Author: Zhang Xiuzhang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Another kind of illusion is formed by the interchanges and connections among people, which I call the illusion of the market, taking the meaning of interactions in the market. People connect through conversation; the language used is based on the understanding of ordinary people. Therefore, choosing inappropriate words with ill intent can astonishingly hinder comprehension. Even the definitions or annotations that learned people habitually use to protect themselves in certain matters cannot correct the situation at all. Yet, language still forces and dominates comprehension, creating chaos and leading people into countless empty debates and pointless fantasies.
Human understanding, by its nature, tends to assume more order and regularity in the world than what is actually seen. Although many things in nature are solitary and unpaired, human understanding often seeks to find parallel, connected, and related elements that do not actually exist. As a result, people have fabricated the idea that all celestial bodies move in perfect circular orbits, completely rejecting the concepts of spirals and wavy paths. As a result, people have included the element of "fire" along with its circle, forcing it into a set of four alongside the other three elements perceived by the senses. As a result, people have also arbitrarily imposed a density ratio of ten to one on these so-called elements. There are many other such delusions. These fantasies not only affect doctrines but also influence simple concepts.