Francis Bacon's Essays

[Red Terror]

There is some great wisdom in the essays of Sir Francis Bacon. Essay number 50 "Of Studies" is interesting.

Histories make men wise; [the study of] poets [make men] witty; [the study of] the mathematics [make men] subtile; [the study of] natural philosophy [make men] deep; [the study of] moral[s] [make men] grave; [the study of] logic and rhetoric [make men] able to contend.

Read not to contradict and confute; nor to believe and take for granted; nor to find talk and discourse; but to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.

http://www.literaturepage.com/read/francis-bacon-essays-102.html

http://www.literaturepage.com/read/francis-bacon-essays.html

[YesNo]

There are many books that I only read part of and still consider it valuable to have read that part. I might read more of it later on. What Bacon says makes sense.

[ennison]

Bacon needed to get out more.

[Alvin Pepler]

Ah, Francis Bacon. Brilliant! I have always considered him either the finest of "con men" or the most brutal of all realists. I haven't decided which just yet. I've dabbled in him for about ten years.