Idola theatri

Idola theatri (singular Idolum theatri) is a type of tendency towards logical fallacy or error, normally translated as "Idols of the Theatre." The Latin was coined by Sir Francis Bacon in his Novum Organum—one of the earliest treatises arguing the case for the logic and method of modern science. Bacon described them as "Idols which have immigrated into men's minds from the various dogmas of philosophies, and also from wrong laws of demonstration." He named them Idols of the Theater "because in my judgment all the received systems are but so many stage plays, representing worlds of their own creation after an unreal and scenic fashion."

The term is one of four such "idols," that represent "idols and false notions" that are "in possession of the human understanding, and have taken deep root therein, not only so beset men's minds that truth can hardly find entrance, but even after entrance is obtained, they will again in the very instauration of the sciences meet and trouble us, unless men being forewarned of the danger fortify themselves as far as may be against their assaults". Of these, the Idola theatri is the most avoidable, being caused by particular historical situations, such as when there is a lot of interest in religion, and no strong monarch to repress such discussion.

Besides idola theatri, there are also idola tribus (Idols of the Tribe, stemming from human nature itself), idola specus, (Idols of the cave, stemming from a person's particular tendencies), and idola fori (Idols of the Market Place, coming from the influence of our human language and its usages).

According to Howard B. White:

In the famous discussion of the four idols, Bacon says that only one kind, the Idols of the Theater, are not innate; nor do they steal "into the understanding secretly." Therefore, they, at least, can be removed.(N.O. I,61) Since, alone among all the idols, they are created by philosophical systems, alone, among all the idols, they may be removed by philosophical systems. Obviously, the principal idol of the theater to Bacon was Aristotle.

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