“The human understanding when it has once adopted an opinion…draws all things else to support and agree with it. And though there be a greater number and weight of instances to be found on the other side, yet these it either neglects and despises, or else by some distinction sets aside and rejects, in order that by this great and pernicious predetermination the authority of its former conclusions may remain inviolate.”
Francis Bacon
(1561 – 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and as Lord Chancellor of England. His works are credited with developing the scientific method. In his Essays, he affirms that “a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.” A timeless truth!
In his Essays, he affirms that “a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion”.
This is still true today!
Paul,
It is very hard to avoid the many cognitive biases we experience as individuals. Recognizing this leads to the understanding that we can approach the truth through civil conversation and debate, eschewing for example the accusation that the other party is guilty of willful blindness.
For an introduction to the psychology of biases I recommend “thinking Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking%2C_Fast_and_Slow
“a little philosophy inclineth man’s mind to atheism, but depth in philosophy bringeth men’s minds about to religion.”
All the more true these days albeit that we have greater access to academic knowledge than before. Take history as an example; despite the fact that we have more information about cotemporary figures such as Winston Churchill or John F Kennedy, there are still works being written reconstructing our understanding of their lives and this may tell us about them as people.
What does this tell us? That ‘facts’ are not easier to attain even with more information but rather the degree of details makes this pursuit uniquely difficult.