Of Studies by Francis Bacon – Explanations and Short Answer Type Questions

Q. Write in brief about Bacon’s style in his essays.

    Bacon’s essays are aphoristic in style and pragmatic in theme. Bacon was highly influenced by Montigne. His essays were first published in 1597. A second edition was published in 1612. The final edition of his essays was published in 1625. His essays are subtitled ‘Counsels Civil and Moral’. His essays are objective (impersonal) meditations on different subjects like studies, discourse, travelling, love, marriage among many others. Bacon’s essays are truly pragmatic bordering on the renaissance interest of ‘self-fashioning’.

Q. What is ‘Aphorism’?

    ‘Aphorism’ is derived from a Greek word, meaning ‘marking off by boundaries’. It is a terse statement of a truth or dogma. A successful aphorism condenses a part of the truth. An example of aphorism from Bacon is “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.”

Q. In what sense does Bacon use the word ‘studies’?

    Bacon uses the word ‘studies’ to mean the pursuit of bookish knowledge. In modern times, the word ‘study’ has become institutionalized. But Bacon uses it in a more general, liberal way.

Q. Briefly describe: “Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability.”

    The opening sentence of Bacon’s “Of Studies” underlines the three major purposes of studies – delight, ornament, and ability. We derive aesthetic joy from studies in loneliness and leisure. Studies help us to decorate the language. The rhetorical ornamentation in discourse is the second purpose of studies. The final and the best major purpose of studies is to derive and ability of judgment and the execution of different jobs. Studies enable man to judge and marshal different jobs perfectly.

Q. Who are the expert men? How do they differ from the learned men?

    By ‘expert men’ Bacon refers to those who have an expertise to execute certain tasks and ‘judge of particulars’. The expert men learn through experience. They do not possess bookish knowledge.

    The ‘expert men’ differ from the learned men in respect of their inferior ability. Though, the expert men can judge and execute certain tasks, the general advices, designs and proper execution of business come from the learned man.

Q. What are the disadvantages of studies?

    Bacon, a pragmatist warns his readers against the abuses of studies. The excessive indulgence in studies may result in idleness. The inclination to use rhetorical devices in language excessively may ruin the spontaneity and natural health of a speech. The scholarly amid of solely by the bookish rules may result in error of judgment and is considered to be the humour of a scholar.

Q. Describe briefly: “They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants that need proyning by study;”

    The quoted lines are extracted from Bacon’s “Of Studies”.

    Bacon teaches the practical use of bookish knowledge. Man is born with with some natural abilities like the ability to speak. These abilities develop on their own like the the wild growth of the natural plants. But these abilities are perfected by experience, just as the wild plants need to be trimmed. The pursuit of bookish knowledge offers multiple directions to be followed. It is the wisdom derived from experience that help in selecting the best one. Studies do not teach their own use. The wisdom, the crystallized form of experiences helps us to apply the bookish knowledge. The wisdom is not confined to the bookish knowledge. It is above them and beyond them, gathered by observation.

    Bacon writes to teach and teaches to apply. His essays are significantly labelled as ‘Counsels Civil and Moral’. Here Bacon instructs his readers the application of bookish knowledge, experience, plays an important role to enrich knowledge obtained from books. Bacon’s style is aphoristic and pragmatic. As a true renaissance thinker he puts emphasis on the practical use of knowledge besides its role in the enlightenment.

Q. Who are called the ‘Crafty men’? Why do they contemn studies?

The crafty men are the men of craft. In other words, they are the artisans, having the right sort of cunning for craft and imitative art. Evidently they lack bookish knowledge. They contemn studies because they have the cunning for their craft and need not bookish knowledge for this.

Q. Who are the simple man? What do they admire?

    Simple man are those who lack bookish knowledge. They have the innocence to understand the importance of studies. They regret their lack of learning and therefore praise the learned and studies.

Q. Who are the wise men?

    The wise men are those who are learned and have the wisdom to apply their learning to solve different problems and execute jobs. They use studies as a tool for improving the human condition in this world.

Q. Briefly describe: “… for they teach not their own use, but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation.”

    The quoted line is taken from Francis Bacon’s “Of Studies”.

    Bacon comments on the use of studies or bookish knowledge. Studies or bookish knowledge should be applied for a better condition of man on earth. But the application of studies is not instructed. Bookish knowledge is theoretical. Books do not teach how to use the bookish knowledge. It is wisdom won by observation which determines the proper use of studies. According to Bacon, the chief application of studies is to ‘weigh and consider’; that is to judge and accept.

Q. Mention the things we are supposed to avoid in respect of the application of bookish knowledge / studies.

    The proper application of the studies is to ‘weigh and consider’ i.e. to judge and accept. We should avoid the misuse of studies. We must not contradict and counter argue with the help of our learning. We must not be over credulous to accept and believe in anything without judgment. We must not look for conversation in order to manifest how learned we are.

Q. Explain: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested;”

    The quoted lines are taken from, Sir Francis Bacon’s “Of Studies”.

Here Bacon comments on the readability of different books. The reading mechanism should be determined according to their importance of the books. Bacon uses a metaphor from eating to illustrate his point. Books of little importance should be tasted that is read in parts. Books that are interesting but not much important should be swallowed i.e. read wholly but may not attentively. The books which are important should be chewed and digested i.e. to be read with ‘deligence and attenstion’. Voluminous books having little importance may also be read by proxy. Summaries made by a deputy often help to understand the general subject matter of a book. But, reading by proxy should not be done in case of important books, because, extracted books are tasteless like distilled water.

Critical Comment: Bacon is highly aphoristic and pragmatic here. He brilliantly compares the readability of books with edibility of food. As a Renaissance essayist Bacon is teaching his readers of the readability of different  types of books. He adopted Senecan aphorism and achieved a compact laconic style. The quoted lines are well-structured having aphoristic brevity. He is not being over emotional regarding the process of reading. His pragmatism is well manifested in the lines quoted above.

Q. Briefly describe: “… distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things”.

    By ‘distilled books’ Bacon means summarized texts. Bacon compares distilled books to distilled waters because an extracted or summarized text is as tasteless as distilled water. We should read by deputy only those books that have very little importance.

Q. What are the three important tools involved in the process of studies?

    By studies, Bacon means, the process of gathering knowledge. Studies involve reading, writing and conference.

    Reading fills the store house of knowledge, and makes a full man. Writing helps man to memorize and thus perfects knowledge. Conference increases promptness and thus makes a ready man.

    If a man writes little he must have a great memory. He should be able to memorize things only by reading. If a man converse little, he should be ready-witted. If a man reads little he should pretend to know what he doesn’t.

Q. How do different subjects help us?

    The pursuit of history makes man wise by cautioning him against past errors so that he may avoid those errors wisely. The reading of poetry makes man witty. A reader should have the right kind of wit to decode a poem. The practice of Mathematics increases keenness and subtlety of attention. If one fails to be attentive he commits error and has to begin the sum once again. The pursuit of natural philosophy enhances the depth of knowledge by teaching us. The cause effects every phenomenon. Morals or ethics makes a man serious about life, because, he learns the distinction between right and wrong. Logic and rhetoric increases our ability to argue.

Q. Describe: “Abeunt studia in mores”

    The quoted line from “Of Studies” is a Latin expression by Ovid (Heroides, xv, 83). The English rendering of the Latin quotation is ‘studies affect character’. Bacon echoes Ovid to imply that the pursuit of different branches of knowledge has an active role in moulding human character. Bacon illustrates by referring to the different branches of knowledge, like history, poetry, mathematics etc. and their related effects on human character like increasing wisdom, wit, and subtlety of attention etc. respectively.

Q. How can we cure different impediments of wits?

According to Bacon different subjects may help us to cure different disorders in the wit. Like physical exercises, those subjects have healing power. The pursuit of Mathematics may help to augment attention and concentration. Lack of concentration may result in serious error in mathematics and one has to begin from the start. Again, if one fails to distinguish between things, one should read, the books by the medieval philosophers because, they were ‘cymini sectores’. If one fails to counter argue by citing based examples, one should read the lawyer’s cases. In a trial the lawyers are found to cite examples from the past to prove and illustrate a matter.

Q. Who are the school men? Why are they called ‘cymini sectores’?

    The term ‘cymini’ has derived from ‘comine’ seed, one of the smallest of seeds. ‘Cymini sectores’ originally refers to Antolineos Pius because he was the carver or divider of comine seed. The phrase ‘cymini sectores’ is equivalent to hair splitters. The medieval philosophers are called the ‘cymini sectores’ by Bacon because, they could distinguish between matters and give hair splitting logical distinction.