“Of Studies” by Francis Bacon is an essay that emphasizes the value and importance of knowledge and education in a person’s life. In this essay, Bacon highlights the benefits and advantages of reading, studying, and acquiring knowledge. Read More English Summaries.
Of Studies Summary
Of Studies Summary in English
It is an essay about the value of studies. Studies are meant for delight ornamentation and ability. Its real use is recognizable for delight in privateness and refining. It proves its value in discourse, in judgement and in business. Expert persons can execute and judge anything in particular while a general person can only counsel. The expertises only come out of the learned. It is sloth to spend too much time on studies. Its excess use also becomes odd and sticking to everything only through laws becomes ridiculous. Scholars make nature perfect and they themselves are perfected by experiences. Cunning people condemn studies while simple men praise them and wise men use them.
It is because wisdom is the super quality.Talking about reading Bacon says reading is not to create contradiction or confusion, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse but to weigh and consider. These are a lot books around us. But all of them are not useful. Some of them are just to taste, some to be swallowed, some to be chewed and digested. One can read some of them only in past, some in full but without curiosity, and some with attention and diligence. We can read some books only by its cover and reviews made by others. But those are not of much importance.
They are meaner sorts of books. While talking about reading the author says that it makes a man full, conference makes a man ready and writing makes a man perfect. In the same way histories make men wise, poets witty. Mathematics makes men subtitle and books on natural philosophy gives depth of moral value to men whereas the books of logic and rhetoric provide ability to contend. Studies pass into and influence our manners. The essayist further says that there is no defect or hurdle in a wit but there may be distortion in studies as we get diseases in body if we not take proper exercise.
As bowling is good for disease of stone and reins, shooting for lungs and breast, gentle walking for the stomach, riding for the head so the writer says that a man with wondering wit should study mathematics. It will twist his wit. If his wit is not apt to distinguish, he should study the School men because they often ask uncommon questions. But if one is very logical he should study the lawyer’s cases. It is therefore, the author concludes that every defect of the mind may have a special receipt.