The Idol of the Tribe [Rethink 2]

Philosophy consists of contemplation and questions aimed at understanding humanity and the world. Let us move toward becoming a human being who thinks again.

Bacon, who sought to grasp the world scientifically and form correct knowledge, saw "humanity's flawed perception" as the greatest obstacle to this goal. He called this an idol (idola), and the word "idol" was no mere metaphor. Bacon believed that errors of perception were no different from religious blindness. Just as people blindly worship a god, humans follow the false beliefs they themselves have created without question. An "idol" refers to "an object or person that becomes an object of worship like a god," and also means "something blindly worshipped."

The Limits Inherent to the "Human" Tribe

Here we look at the first of the four idols proposed by Bacon, the 16th–17th century English philosopher and scientist: the "Idol of the Tribe." There is a reason the Idol of the Tribe is placed first among the four. The remaining idols — the Idol of the Cave, the Idol of the Marketplace, and the Idol of the Theater — are errors that arise from the individual, from society, or from academic tradition. But the Idol of the Tribe is more fundamental than these, because it is an error inherent to the very existence of being "human."

The "Idol of the Tribe" (idola tribus) refers to the false belief that places "humanity" as the measure of all things, or that cannot escape the limits of being human. The claim is that if humans wish to know the world accurately, the inquirer must set aside the fact that they themselves are "human" when looking at things. In other words, the "tribe" — that is, "humanity" itself — inherently carries the possibility of error.

Countless beings besides humans live on this earth. And yet humans think of everything centered on "humanity." Aristotle, who saw "thought" as the greatest criterion distinguishing humans from other animals, regarded humans as more valuable than other beings — but Bacon criticized this very human-centered way of thinking as itself an obstacle to correct perception.

When you think about it, human beings are not so rational, and are often emotional. This doesn't mean human emotion is inherently negative. Rather, it means that the hopes, fears, prejudices, or impatience that humans bring when accepting the world become obstacles to perceiving the true nature of things. Whenever humans investigate something or engage with some being, they inevitably are influenced, knowingly or not, by their own biological traits or collective characteristics.

In modern society, the methods and tools of scientific inquiry have advanced greatly, allowing us to make discoveries and build theories that go beyond the limits of human reason and the senses. This is because things like microscopes, telescopes, and computers reduce the possibility of human error. In Bacon's time, there wasn't even a proper telescope, and the level of science was low. The false beliefs that arose from this became obstacles to correct knowledge.

Losing Your Way to Find Yourself [Book Introduction]

This book invites readers into the timeless questions that define human existence — “Who am I?”, “Why was I born?”, and “Why must I live?” For those who carry deep and restless questions, Losing Your Way to Find Yourself offers a moment of quiet contemplation — a pause between one step and the next.

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Witch Hunts and Confirmation Bias

The witch hunts — one of the most notorious events to occur in the West — can also be understood through the Idol of the Tribe. In a world rife with widespread anxiety and mistrust of others, all blame was placed on "witches." In truth, the root of the problem was not the witches themselves, but the collective human belief that created the "witch" as an idol in the first place. The Idol of the Tribe is not a story of the past.

Even today, the groupthink formed on social media, and confirmation bias — selectively accepting only information that reinforces one's own beliefs — operate on the very same structure. The spread of fake news, too, rests on the Idol of the Tribe. The era may have changed, but the pattern of humans blindly following idols they themselves have collectively created repeats itself.

People get swept up in a social atmosphere where, even knowing something is wrong, they cannot say so. Even if a belief is false, when many people share it and act according to it, they come to regard it as truth without even realizing it — and end up ruthlessly attacking any criticism or doubt directed at it. When a particular group considers everything it does or thinks to be right, or claims that whatever it believes is truth, that is dogmatism — and it is when a group asserts such dogmatism that social tragedy begins.

Judging whether one's own belief is false is difficult, because people usually try to rationalize themselves or compromise with themselves. Humans are, at times, animals that deceive themselves even while knowing something is false. Groundless beliefs are ones we ourselves have cultivated — yet saying "everyone else believes it too" is nothing more than an expression of refusing to take responsibility for one's own actions. That is why we must always be able to ask ourselves: "Is my belief correct?"

Like Bacon's project of destroying the idols held by the "human" tribe in order to properly grasp the essence of things, we need a thorough examination of whether our own knowledge is a hollow belief. Because we are human, we can be blind. But because we are human, we can also question our own thoughts and actions — and because we are human, we can correct false beliefs. Only such a human can break free from idols and finally become a being that truly thinks for itself.

[2] Why I Began Thinking This Way

The questions kept multiplying. If I don’t know who I am, how can I live as myself? If I can’t live in a way that is truly mine, does my life have any meaning? Then what does it mean to be “myself”? What does it mean to live? And what does it mean to live meaningfully?

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The Philosophy of Wealth and Prosperity: Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching

Lao Tzu says, abandon greed, refrain from striving to take from one another, and instead, care for and support one another. This world is already filled with wealth and prosperity, so he pleads to stop that the former and to cease such actions.

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