Francis Bacon

Nature bounds our acquired knowledge. After that, the Authorpresents the concept of how different individuals with differentmental abilities and interests in life, approach the idea of studying–“Crafty men contemn studies…”- and offers advice on how study should be applied: –“…but to weight and consider”- Then Bacon goesinto expressing his ideas in how the means to acquire
studyknowledge
, books, can be categorized and read according to theircontent and value to the individual. The benefits of
studying
areBacon’s final approach. Benefits in terms of defining a “Man” by itsability to read, write or confer, and in terms of being the medicine forany “impediment in the wit” and by giving “receipts” to “every defectof the mind”.Certainly, some of Francis Bacon’s insights in this subject are of   value after 400 years of societal evolution. We can ascertain this when we read the phrase “They perfect Nature, and are perfected by experience…” Nevertheless some of the concepts expressed in hisEssay have to be understood through the glass of time. By this I meanSociety values and concepts were different altogethers to what weknow today. By that time Society was strongly influenced by the ideaof literacy and illiteracy (relatively few were educated and could read

and write). Only educated people had access to knowledge and by that, to social status and opportunity. Nowadays would be difficult toaccept ideas which relate skills or professions towards an attitude toapproach
studying
. Today, a skilled machinist or carpenter cancertainly be a studied person. Nowadays most people in our Society have the possibility to read and by that, to obtain knowledgeindependently of what our personal choices are in terms of profession. Also we must consider how today we value thespecialization of knowledge which in the past, characterized by amore generic and limited access to knowledge, wasn’t a major factorinto the conceptualization and understanding of
study knowledge
asto... [continues]

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