Imagine you are Sir Francis Bacon transported from London in the 1600s to Corsicana or the North Texas area in the 2000s. You are interested in seeing if people have paid any attention to your advice about “The Idols.” Peruse (examine) newspapers and /or magazines [paper copies or online publications.] Look in particular for those stories or reports that show the workings of the human mind at its best or at its worst.

1.Explain where you found the article.

2. Provide a brief synopsis (summary) of the article. Length: one hundred words minimum.

3. Briefly explain what Bacon would applaud or despise about the quality of thinking that is evident in the piece. If you can, specifically link it to one of the four idols itself, but don’t worry if you cannot. The idea is to recognize logical or illogical thinking. Length: one hundred words. Part three is the most important part of this assignment. It is easy to summarize. The next step requires higher level thinking skills. I’m asking you to analyze.

(Another way to look at this assignment is that you are looking for examples of first rate thinking, questioning, examining, investigating, etc. versus sloppy thinking evident in over-generalizations, jumping to conclusions, failure to investigate the topic, etc.)