As stated in paragraph 13, Bacon opined that "will and affections" affect matters pertaining to thought. Bacon holds the view that peoples' understanding of what is observed is assessed in accordance with their preferences. Bacon supports this assertion by remarking that, "For what a man had rather were true he more readily believes". Simply put, human beings tend to agree with what they prefer to believe. In testing the establishment by Bacon, reviewing what convinces older people could be beneficial. For instance, a sizable percentage of elderly people perceive the state of the world as deteriorating. On the other hand, young people believe that the older generation has a plot to interfere with their progress by holding them back. Similarly, a high percentage of women contend that men are interested in undermining or oppressing them for the purposes of selfish gains. Moreover, some men are of the opinion that the women who lead the feminist movements are not as feminine as they should be. It is apparent that people hold notions that stem from what they want to believe as opposed to what the truth or reality is. Based on this, I believe that reality does not exist or rather it is too difficult to know what it is.
Based on the views of Heese (114-39) 'the mind has a big influence on what the world is'. Using the effect of a placebo, Heese demonstrates how reality is created. Alternatively, patients are made to believe that they are being treated. In the case of a person who feels unwell, the use of any curatives may not actually have an effect of reversing the pain or discomfort being experienced. Instead, the minds of the patients play a big role in influencing the healing or the pain relief process. In this case, using perception, I think, the mind creates reality. The above illustrations clearly underscore the notion that a connection between consciousness and causal reality is present, an aspect that Bacon underscored.
Heese (114-39) cites the case of anthropologists to point out that culture shapes reality. According to the author, it is not surprising that people who grow up in various regions with different cultures exhibit varied opinions on issues. I think that such leanings reflect cultural hypnosis. Bacon remarked that "read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted ... but to weigh and consider". This supports the view that thoughts are influenced by the will and affections of people.
In the views of Spedding, Ellis and Heath (57-74), "the way we think is as important as what we actually think". Thus, I believe that the manner in which people think is a product of the thoughts themselves. The thinkers are the ones who decide what to ponder. The authors proceed to point out that the way of knowing, the false and limited habits and common sense are the underlying attributes that shape reality. Spedding, Ellis and Heath further outline that what people perceive and fail to perceive presents the complete reality of consciousness - the "inside" of all those things that exist. Bacon supported such views by indicating that, "science is but an image of the truth". This implies that science is not the truth but a mere representation of it.
Based on the views of Spedding, Ellis and Heath (57-74), the real world is so diverse such that knowing it fully is quite complex. Owen (45) backs the assertion by claiming that trusting senses to understand nature is simplistic. The senses give a distorted view of nature. The author alleges that the senses reduce the wholeness into small parts, which are labeled as the reality. Surprisingly, a big percentage of observers seem to agree. The most perturbing aspect, based on the views of Spedding, Ellis and Heath, is that such observations are taken as objective reality. The development of scientific methodology reflects the path that observers use to support their findings. In science, adherents explore 'reality' based on what they think the truth is. Dissecting the views of Spedding, Ellis and Heath (57-74), I am convinced that reality is a creation of the human mind or sensations. The extent to which the sensations are accurate is a serious concern whose answers are difficult to obtain.
As pointed earlier, reality becomes elusive since each person holds different perceptions, which influence what it is as well as its constituents. For instance, young people believe that the older generation has a plot to interfere with their progress by holding them back. In most societies, it happens that the elderly people are the ones who occupy positions of influence. As a result, they are in charge of policy-making. Hence, they design policies that they believe could guarantee development. However, the younger generation questions the wisdom of the older generation based on their actions. The younger generation specifically claims that the old people are interested in maintaining the status quo since it benefits them. However, the older generation refutes such claims asserting that whatever action they engage in is meant to serve the society's best interests. Since a majority of people takes sides on such issues based on ages, then it is possible to argue that Bacon was right by observing that the "will and affections" play a big role in influencing thoughts. Similarly, by claiming that "in order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must be present" I think that in understanding an issue, the contesting parties must take a clear position.
Similarly, I believe that a sizable percentage of elderly people perceive the state of the world as deteriorating. I think that in the past, the world was not changing so fast as it does today. In the past, the world was relative stable. This has led the older people to argue that the state of the world is deteriorating. As Bacon observed, people often tend to agree with what satisfies their minds. Hence, the older people tend to accept that the world is deteriorating since they are unable to keep pace with the emerging changes.
I think a big percentage of women feel that men consciously oppress them. This has led to the emergence of feminist movements that have a primary aim of promoting women empowerment. It is not surprising that even women who lack basic qualifications to fit in certain careers often cite the superiority of mean as a cause of their suffering. Based on the ideas of Bacon, reality is constructed. In this regard, the way in which the society has existed affirms the views that are held by women. The society being patriarchal has often encouraged male dominance. In the process, women have found themselves relegated to peripheral roles since in most instances they have worked as subordinates of men. However, the society is fast changing as women rise against this state. Nevertheless, most women who feel disadvantaged often cite male dominance as a source of their suffering.
There are some reasons to believe that a bigger percentage of men feel that feminists are not as feminine as they should be. The society has created some truths. Such truths include how the two sexes/genders should behave. On the one hand, the males are supposed to show masculinity while, on the other hand, females are expected to exhibit feminism. However, it is possible that some individuals from the two sexes may fail to conform to expectations. When some individuals fail to adhere to expectations, observers are quick to point out the deviations that are depicted in behaviour. Consequently, I believe it is not surprising that some observers often question whether some females truly stick to feminism requirements. For instance, women are not expected to dominate political issues. Thus, those women who excel in politics are presumed to have masculine tendencies.
I believe that the works of Bacon are critical in analyzing the nature of human thinking. In order to control nature, people need to act based on rules and identity. In this regard, reality is not relative (Spedding, Ellis and Heath 57-74). Instead, reality recognizes the existence primacy. The implication is that reality does not depend on whims, wishes or miracles. Whoever seeks to change the world should thus act based on reality. In short, nothing affects reality. Any attempt to evade reality would undermine the attainment of desired effects. In my view, such failure would amount to metaphysical justice.
Conclusion
In my view, this essay confirms the views presented by Bacon that thoughts are mere reflections of the will and affections of people. On the contrary, science is expected to help people understand the reality. However, the influences of the will and affection influence thoughts and pave way for the distortion of reality. Currently, the creation of reality is real. The above examples show how people use their perceptions to create reality.
