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Full Idea
It is the nature of the mind of man (to the extreme prejudice of knowledge) to delight in the spacious liberty of generalities, as in a champaign region, and not in the inclosures of particularity.
Clarification
'Champaign regions' are open fields, and 'inclosures' are fenced in
Gist of Idea
People love (unfortunately) extreme generality, rather than particular knowledge
Source
Francis Bacon (The Advancement of Learning [1605], II.VIII.1)
Book Ref
Bacon,Francis: 'Advancement of Learning/New Atlantis' [OUP 1966], p.115
A Reaction
I have to plead guilty to this myself. He may have pinpointed the key motivation behind philosophy. We all want to know things, as Aristotle said, but some of us want the broad brush, and others want the fine detail.
Related Idea
Idea 15970 People generalise because it is easier to understand, and that is mistaken for deep philosophy [Feynman]
| 12117 | Science moves up and down between inventions of causes, and experiments [Bacon] |
| 12119 | Physics studies transitory matter; metaphysics what is abstracted and necessary [Bacon] |
| 12120 | Physics is of material and efficient causes, metaphysics of formal and final causes [Bacon] |
| 12118 | Essences are part of first philosophy, but as part of nature, not part of logic [Bacon] |
| 12121 | We don't assume there is no land, because we can only see sea [Bacon] |
| 12124 | Metaphysics is the best knowledge, because it is the simplest [Bacon] |
| 12123 | Natural history supports physical knowledge, which supports metaphysical knowledge [Bacon] |
| 12125 | Teleological accounts are fine in metaphysics, but they stop us from searching for the causes [Bacon] |
| 12126 | People love (unfortunately) extreme generality, rather than particular knowledge [Bacon] |
| 12127 | Many different theories will fit the observed facts [Bacon] |