Introduction: “I have taken
all knowledge for my province” says Bacon and “Beyond any other book of
the same size in any literature they are loaded with ripest wisdom of
experience.” Says Hudson regarding Bacon’s essays. No body can deny the
wisdom of Bacon of his understanding of the affairs of the world.
He shows an extraordinary insight regarding the problems that men face in life. But his wisdom is only practical and not moral. Alexander Pope has given the following remarks about Bacon in his epic:
He shows an extraordinary insight regarding the problems that men face in life. But his wisdom is only practical and not moral. Alexander Pope has given the following remarks about Bacon in his epic:
If
parts allure these think how Bacon shin’d
The
wisest, brightest and meanest of mankind
There
is some basic truth in this contention. One cannot deny his wisdom, his
observation, intellect and genius. Bacon was a very complex and
enigmatic character. The dichotomy of moral values what one finds
in his essays was to be found in his character, too.
Compton-Rickett says, “He had a great brain, not a great soul.” He
wanted to serve humanity with through the expansion of
usable knowledge. He was aware that no headway could be made in this
world without adopting certain mean ways. He was a product of the Renaissance
with composite qualities such as wisdom, meanness and
brightness. Bacon was a man of the
Renaissance and that was
an age which tried to explore to the full, the
opportunities of mind and body afforded
to man. The term,
Renaissance means Re-birth or more
generally the Revival of Learning. It was a
series of
events by which Europe passed from Medieval to a Modern
Civilization. In this age, there was a new spirit of inquiry, of
criticism and of
passionate scientific inventions. Literature of that
age was chiefly marked by this spirit and Bacon’s essays
have several features that show the
spirit of Renaissance. A very important writer
of the Italian Renaissance was Machiavelli whose opportunistic philosophy
sacrificed high ethical ideals in the interest of achieving material
progress. Man is an
individual and an end in
himself and
this sense of individualism gave rise to the feeling that he must know how to
get on in this world. The revival of classical
learning and the study of ancient Greek and Roman Literature
and history was a
hallmark of the Renaissance. The spirit of
learning is very much in the essays of Bacon. There are many allusions to
ancient history and the
references to classical mythology
are all evidence
of the typical Renaissance culture. Latin writers such as Seneca
and Virgil and Lucian
have frequently been drawn. His love
of learning is portrayed
in his essay Of Studies
and he substantiates his arguments in his essay, Of Friendship with instances
from history. Blake on reading the essays of Bacon is supposed to
have remarked that they were good advice for Satan’s Kingdom. Now, a
Satan’s Kingdom naturally implies a state of affairs in
which morality has no place or
in which actions are governed by a
complete lack of principles. To some extent, it is indeed undeniable that
Bacon’s advice incorporates a certain cool disregard for
high moral ideals. The actual
fact is that in Bacon’s
essays, one find dichotomy of values, the essays present a
strange complexity and
contradiction of wisdom and values. In order to
understand the
real meaning of his essays, it is imperative to understand the
underlying purpose
of his writing. Man
was the subject of
most
literature and man is the
subject of
Bacon’s essays too. Thus the wisdom
that Bacon shows in his essays is
regulated by the practical consideration. It is frankly
utilitarian. This does not
mean that the essays don’t contain
ethical or philosophical values, they do, but the overall hallmark
of his essays is practical use.
Wisdom,
Meanness and Brightness: To a religious-minded man like Blake, advice such as what
Bacon offers in his essays must indeed have been shocking. Blake would regard
any utilitarian advice as opposite to God’s ways, but Bacon was not so
particular, for he a man of the Renaissance. It is easy to assume that
Bacon’s wisdom was cynical because many of his advice calmly ignores ethical
standards and seems to imply that nothing succeeds like success. Bacon is
utilitarian, but he is so because he realized that the vast majority of the
people in the world are guided by this attitude and success for them has only
one meaning – the material success. His essays reflect the profound
wisdom of his mind, his brightness is ascertained by his vast knowledge and
literary and classical allusions made in his works, his meanness does not deal
with his money. He was reputed to be a very generous man. He was mean because
he showed a surprising lack of principle in promoting his selfish interests.
Philosopher
– cum – moralist:
At least two of his essays present him as entertaining deep regard for high
sentiments and the sanctity of truth. Of Truth speaks of truth, love and fair
dealings in high terms. Here he is a philosopher who advocates the pursuit of
truth. He is also a moralist when he says that “man’s mind should turn upon the
“poles of truth.” Falsehood debases man despite his material gains and
success. Bacon advocates man to follow a path of truth and truthfulness.
Similarly, his essay Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature is on a purely moral
plane. He counsels goodness, charity and benevolence and there is a clear
condemnation of evil. There are some essays in which he puts a number of moral
precepts, not ignoring prudential aspects. When we come to Bacon’s essays
dealing with subjects such as love, marriage, family life and parents and
children, we are struck by the cold and unemotional treatment of topics what
could easily admit an emotional approach. Prudence governs marriage, love
and friendship. Love is an emotion, not fit for life according to Bacon. As a
philosopher, he takes a balanced view of every thing, weighs the pros and cons
of every issue, presents different aspects of the picture and counsels
moderation. This is a rationalist’s approach and it preludes emotion and
feeling. The essays are a handbook of practical wisdom. Each essay is a
collection of suggestion and guideline for a man of action. His essays lack
coherence and logical sequence, otherwise a quality in a standard essay. But
his essays are unity of ideas.
Conclusion: But it has to be
pointed out that Bacon is not a moral idealist. He does not preach morality,
but not ideal morality. The kind of morality he teaches is tinged with what is
called worldliness. We might even say that the guiding principle is expediency.
Yet one cannot say that Bacon is amoral or immoral in his advice. In
every issue, he balances the advantage and disadvantage. Even within the
utilitarian code, there is a code of conduct – a morality that is perhaps as
high as is easily practicable in the world as we know it. His essays
embody the wisdom and philosophy and morality of a clear-eyed realist who knows
quite well that men should be and but also knew what they actually were.
Bacon is undoubtedly a man whose morality is greater than the average man’s,
but it is not of the highest order. The pursuit of good and right are important
but not if it proves too costly in worldly terms. His advice is neither for
Satan’s Kingdom nor for God’s, but for the Kingdom of man.
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