Like the Borgias
In aphorism XXXV of Book I, Bacon says that he desires his doctrine to enter quietly into the minds of the people without a great revolution, just like the Borgias, who "came with chalk in their hands to mark out their lodgings, not with arms to force their way in." This simile provides an interesting image to accompany his mission statement, one that seems at odds with his radical claims.
A False Mirror
"And the human understanding is like a false mirror, which, receiving rays irregularly, distorts and discolors the nature of things by mingling its own nature with it." (Aphorism XLI, Book I)
In this set of aphorisms, Bacon is explaining his ideas of the Five Idols, qualities of human cognition that make it impossible to engage in pure, abstract logic without inherent bias. This particular aphorism regards the Idols of the Tribe, which are problems of imperfection inherent in human nature. This simile of the false mirror aptly encapsulates the flaws of human understanding, which is not perfect, thereby rendering many of Aristotle's theories invalid.
A Captive in a Procession
"For he had come to his conclusion before; he did not consult experience, as he should have done, for the purpose of framing his decisions and axioms, but having first determined the question according to his will, he then resorts to experience, and bending her into conformity with his placets, leads her about like a captive in a procession." (Aphorism LXIII, Book I)
In this rather lengthy aphorism (of which this is only an excerpt), Bacon escalates his attack on Aristotle, using specific examples to argue that his entire method of logic is invalid and misleading, even his treatises on natural sciences in which he appears to use experiments. Bacon asserts that these experiments were inadequate because Aristotle predetermined his ideas and theories before testing them out, and therefore viewed the results through the biased lens of his own pre-conclusions. This visual simile is a striking image of Bacon's view of Aristotle: comparing experience to a captive in a procession masterfully portrays the logical flaws of Aristotle (in Bacon's view).
The Golden Apple of Inductive Generalization
"Thus, like Atalanta, they go aside to pick up the golden apple, but meanwhile they interrupt their course, and let the victory escape them." (Aphorism LXX, Book I)
In this aphorism, Bacon is chastising those who use inductive reasoning up until a point, but then get too hasty in their search for meaning and prematurely synthesize the results into a universal, teleological axiom. This distraction, like the golden apples in the myth of the huntress Atalanta, causes them to miss their goal and divert their attention from the finish line, instead pursuing their own whims.
The River of Time
"...time, like a river, bringing down to us things which are light and puffed up, but letting weighty matters sink." (Aphorism LXXI, Book I)
In this aphorism, Bacon is evaluating various Greek philosophers, arguing that some of the less prevalent ones such as Anaxagoras and Democritus were more successful than Aristotle because they pursued truth seriously and individually, not flamboyantly recruiting students and opening a school to propagate his half-baked material. The reason Aristotle is more popular, says Bacon, is that time brings to our attention things that are similarly "light and puffed up," while the weightier and more worth matters fall past the public eye.
