"Of Studies" by Francis Bacon
Of Studies
by Francis Bacon
How can studies be used for practical purposes according to Bacon?
‘Of
Studies’ is one of Bacon’s most pragmatic essays. Whatever the author
has said regarding books is calculated to command the reader’s
acceptance that it is the well-thought out opinion of a man who was
widely read and also possessed that practical experience to complement
that book knowledge.
Studies of
books can be useful in three ways. It gives pleasure, it has a
decorative value, it can increase practical ability. A man can develop
the ability of making correct judgemnet in his day-to-day affairs and
managing them well. The planning of an overall strategy comes best from
studying.
Bacon
advises men to study books judiciously. He advises not to spend too much
time on studies. He also advises not to use too much material from
books in one’s conversation because that will make his speech affected.
Neither should a man be completely guided by the instructions of books
only. He advises that studies and practical experience should go hand in
hand. Practical experience teaches one how to use knowledge of books
effectively. The use of knowledge can be learnt only through the
observation of people and their manners, and life in general.
Bacon says
that all books are not worth minute reading. There are only a small
number of books that provide the kind of material which should be
carefully pondered over and absorbed into one’s self.
According
to Bacon, the deficiency of a man’s mental make-up can be cured by the
study of suitable subjects as the diseases of the body can be remedied
by physical exercises.
Mathematics,
according to Bacon can help one concentrate his mind. For a man who
fails to distinguish between things, the study of the writings of
philosophers is recommended. For the development of a logical mind and
for the ability to recall a thing to prove and exemplify another, he
should take up the study of legal cases. A lawyer has to find precedents
to explain, illustrate and prove the point under consideration. By
studying these cases, a man will develop the faculty of shifting quickly
from one point to another.
[Contributor: Mustafizur Rahman]
Explanation:
“Some books are to be tasted…digested.”
These lines have been taken from “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon. Here
the essayist gives practical advice as to which book should be
approached in what way. There are hundreds of sorts of books and it is
not possible practically to read all the books.
Therefore, Bacon advises that there are some books which do not need a
thorough reading. They should be read in parts only to get the idea
about them. These books are of meaner sorts and one cannot waste so much
time on reading such books. There are some books which can be read in
full but not with so much attention. They can be just skimmed through to
get a sort of surface meaning. There are very few books which need to
be studies carefully because of their quality. They are to be read and
assimilated because they provide the kind of material which should be
carefully pondered over and absorbed into oneself.
[Contributor: Mustafizur Rahman]
sharing our knowledge-
© 2012 http://www.myinkforward.com
No comments:
Post a Comment