Bacon is a renaissance scholar | | How does Bacon's attitude to books and studies illustrate his intellectual curiosity?

Bacon is a renaissance scholar

Bacon is a renaissance scholar. He wants to encourage the reading habits and intellectual interest of young men of his time. He is a pragmatist and stresses the practical uses of studies. He suggests judicious reading of books. e recommends the study of many subjects - history, mathematics, natural science, moral philosophy, logic, rhetoric, theology and law. But he suggests that books are to be read wisely and with scrupulous care. Reading must be accompanied by discussion and writing. This will make knowledge exact and accurate. At the same time, he urges the "dents to gather knowledge through experience and observations. Theoretical knowledge through books must be perfected by experience and observations.

Bacon is of the opinion that studies foster intellectual interests. They encourage rational and critical thinking. But the native wisdom of a man is founded on experience. He had seen much of life; he had intellectual curiosity of a renaissance scholar and so he could make this thoughtful statement. He was not in favour of specialised knowledge - he pleaded for comprehensive knowledge. He was interested in all subjects and all books connected with these subjects. This testifies to his intellectual curiosity. But as an enlightened empiricist, he stresses experience and practical use of studies. He believes that the study of every separate subject serves a specific intellectual purpose.

In the essay "Of Studies" Bacon in a very brief statement tells us about the intellectual impact of different subjects on human mind. He sums up the impacts of all subjects or branches in a sentence when he says "Histories make men wise, poets witty, the mathematics subtle, natural philosophy deep, moral grave, logic and rhetoric able to contend." Bacon is of the opinion that the subject history gives a man wide variety of knowledge and thus turns him wise. The benign touch of poetry makes a man sensitive and imaginative; the critical subject of mathematics develops intelligence and subtlety; the study of moral philosophy induces a sense of gravity; the study of natural philosophy prompts a man to think seriously; logic gives one power of arguing and rhetoric enhances the command over language.

Bacon's intellectual curiosity covers also theology and law. Medieval school-man theology encourages the power of hair-splitting distinctions and law promotes memory. Bacon's intellectual interests are wide and his curiosity is broad and deep.