Does What One’s Mind Construe As Reality Outweigh Reason?

Question: Does what one’s mind construe as reality outweigh reason?

Quote 1: “O what ridiculous Resolution Men take, when possess’d with Fear! It deprives them of the Use of those Means which Reason offers for their Relief.” (Defoe 115-116)

Quote 2: “The idols and false notions which are now 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 obtained, they will again in the very instauration of the sciences meet and trouble us… ” (Bacon PE 41)

            At this point in the novel, the protagonist, Robinson Crusoe, has found what appears to be a single human footprint on the shore of his, otherwise thought to be, uninhabited island. This imprint of a foot in the sand sends Robinson Crusoe reeling into two years of what could be argued as delusional paranoia. From the first quote the reader can tell that Crusoe, when looking back on his actions post-footprint, knows that they were excessive and absurd. Later he comments how if he had never seen the footprint he would have continued living on the island in the calm he had created there for himself; Crusoe completely altered his reality and became “possessed” by fear prior to any proof that he was actually in danger.  This corresponds with the idols and false notions Francis Bacon discusses in the second quote and throughout his essay “The New Science.” Fear most definitely can be understood as a false notion – something that lacks concrete evidence of existence or reality. The events that have shaped a person’s life will ultimately shape what their notions are of the world around them. Crusoe has lived a life of misfortune; thus, finding a footprint in the sand immediately turns into a symbol of impending doom versus one of salvation.

Both quotes use the term possession which speaks to the idea that a person no longer has agency over what they believe is reality: making any sort of logic obsolete. What is interesting about the second quote is how Bacon states that, even if the “truth” begins to resonate with someone, inquisition of nature will ultimately make one have to analyze the validity of what they think they now know to be true and reevaluate their notions once more. Crusoe goes back and forth several times about what he believes the footprint is from and what finding it means for his situation. Even when he seems to be using logic and reason to deduce a present state free from harm he continues to repeatedly analyze his situation and go back to believing in a reality that is aligned with his fears.