Of Studies
SUMMARY: Francis Bacon's short but well-written essay "Of Studies" provides insightful information about the advantages and purposes of learning. The first thing that Bacon says is that there are three basic reasons to study: for delight, for ornamentation, and for ability. He argues that learning for delight entails reading for one's own enjoyment and fulfillment, studying for adornment entails amassing information and oratory prowess to dazzle others, and studying for ability entails honing one's decision-making and technical aptitude to complete a variety of tasks.Then, Bacon offers advice on how to divide one's time and attention between various types of study. He issues a caution against studying for an excessive amount of time, which he calls "sloth," or utilizing them excessively as decoration, which he labels "affectation." Additionally, he issues a warning against relying exclusively on the laws and precepts discovered via research, which he refers to as the humor of a scholar. He contends that experience should be used in addition to studies since it can help people improve their inherent skills and identify errors.He says that “studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience” (Bacon)
.Also discussed by Bacon is how various people perceive and appreciate academic work. According to him, smart folks employ studies, foolish men revere them, and cunning men condemn them. He makes the implication that the real goal of education is to apply knowledge wisely and constructively, not to display it.He says that “they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation” (Bacon).
The author then offers some helpful guidance on how to read various genres of literature. According to him, some books are meant to be tasted, which refers to reading them very briefly or superficially; others are meant to be swallowed, which refers to reading them completely but without giving them much thought; and some are meant to be chewed and digested, which refers to reading them thoroughly and attentively. He adds that this should only be done for less significant or inferior works. He also proposes that some novels can be read by deputy, that is, by someone else who can summarize them or extract their essence.
Bacon then lists the advantages of several types of research for various parts of human life. Reading, he claims, makes a full man, or a well-informed and knowledgeable person; conference, he claims, makes a ready man, or a fluent and eloquent speaker; and writing, he claims, makes an exact man, or a precise and accurate thinker. He also says that histories make men wise, poets witty, mathematics subtle, natural philosophy deep, moral grave, logic and rhetoric able to contend.
Bacon closes his article with a Latin proverb: "Abeunt studia in mores," which translates as "studies become habits." He claims that there is no mental impairment or weakness that cannot be treated or improved by adequate studies. He shares some examples of how various workouts might assist various sections of the body and mind. He claims that "so every defect of the mind may have a special receipt" (Bacon).
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