The beginning of Francis Bacon’s essay titled “Of Studies” gives me the impression that you must have an education to understand the importance of a study. It is almost as if you are required to have an education to even read one

When Francis Bacon says, “They (studies) perfect nature, and are perfected by experience; for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need pruning by study; and studies themselves give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience.” This sounds to me to be very true. To me what he said is simply put as, studies seem to present more and more questions than give us answers.

Bacon’s statements about reading a study make a very interesting point and touch on one of my beliefs. Going farther, Bacon describes three types of men: Those that write little, those that confer with others little, and then those that read little. The man who writes little, describes Bacon, “has need to remember much.” Well that is true…people who do not write themselves notes or track a date on a calendar have to remember all their appointments. One of my friends is like this. He always has to recall information on the spot because he doesn’t have it at hand on paper. As for the other two…I do not know, and have not seen this in my life. But, I can say that it makes sense. The man who confers little with others, he thinks that he knows it all. He thinks that he has the answers to everything. Therefore, he must have much wit, to cover up the fact that he doesn’t know the answer to everything. And finally the man who reads little; this man has little knowledge, and therefore must have “much cunning” in order to appear to others as having much knowledge.

As for the ending of the essay, I had a harder time understanding the concept because the final words were in another language. If I knew the language, I would better understand the two statements that Bacon made. I want to better understand these concepts and will do further research into it.

Overall, I liked the essay. It pointed out some things that I had not really thought about. Such as his instructions for reading an essay, “Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider.” That statement speaks volumes to me. It says to me that we should not judge what is said in a study but instead take at face value and consider what it has to say. That we should not instantly believe what the study has to say or take what it says for less than it means, instead we should weigh what it has to say against what we believe. Nor should we talk about it and discuss it away to nothing. To the point that it has nothing left to say. But instead should discuss and consider the possible meanings of what is found in the study. This can all be summed up as thinking critically about things. We should see everything from someone else’s point of view in order for us to be able to make a fair judgment.

This can be applied to life, also. If we approach each new person or situation with this knowledge behind us; we wouldn’t be so quick to judge, thus making the wrong judgment for who we meet and the situations that we get into.

I took some time and considered what Bacon had to say in his essay, I have also weighed what he said against my own beliefs and found what he had to say was true. All except for the education being required in order to understand a study…for I have little and yet understand this man’s essay. Can’t they, studies and essays, be one and the same sometimes?

-Eric Takis