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BACON’S WORLDLY WISDOM / PRACTICAL WISDOM /PRAGMATISM

BACON AS A MORALIST
THE WISEST, BRIGHTEST AND THE MEANEST
BACON’S ESSAYS: BLEND OF PHILOSOPHY & MORALITY
COUNSELS, CIVIL AND MORAL / UTILITARIANISM
Francis Bacon, the father of English essays, is a Renaissance essayist, moralist and
philosopher whose essays are loaded with ripest wisdom of experience. Nobody can
deny the wisdom of his understanding of the affairs of the world. He shows an
extraordinary insight regarding the problems that men face in life. Following the spirit
of Renaissance, Bacon teaches us morality with the practical use of it. Some critics
have made all attempts to show that Bacon was really a moralist. There is no doubt
that he appears in this role in his essays, which are abound in moral percepts. He
gives valuable guidelines for good human conduct. It is true that Bacon is a
philosopher, and a moralist, but it has rightly been pointed out by many critics that, in
his essays, he treated philosophy and morality as being subordinate to worldly
success. He himself described his essays as “Counsels, civil and moral.” which
means that his essays provide such guidance to the readers as could help them in
attaining success in civil life while at the same time observing certain basic moral
laws. Alexander Pope has rightly summed up Bacon’s status as philosopher-cum-
moralist in these words:
“If parts allure these think how Bacon shin‟d
The wisest, brightest, and meanest of mankind.”
This kind pragmatic and utilitarian philosophy of Bacon’s is the product of the
Renaissance period he was living in. Ifor Evans has rightly said,
"Bacon is the most complete representative of the Renaissance in England,
learned, worldly wise, ambitious, intriguing, enamoured of all the luxury that
wealth in his time could supply and while knowing so much, almost
completely ignorant about himself."
So Bacon is truly the product of his age, the Renaissance. He represents the
wickedness and treachery, deceitfulness and hypocrisy, flattery and lust for power of
the Renaissance England. The most important characteristics of Renaissance, such
as Machiavellian ideas, are found in his essays. Machiavelli was the most
prominent writer of the Italian Renaissance. He had opportunistic and pragmatic
approach towards life. As an opportunist, he preached that ethical principles
should be sacrificed to achieve material progress. As a pragmatist, he judged the
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rightness of an action by the result it produces. Bacon, too, teaches no ideal
morality. His essays provide worldly wisdom and are aptly regarded as the capsules
of worldly-mindedness. It does not imply any deep philosophy or any ideal morality.
It simply means the art or technique that a man should employ to achieve success in
his life. Therefore, it implies shrewdness, sagacity, tact, foresight, judgment of
character, and so on. Bacon himself says:
“I have taken all knowledge to be my province.”
Bacon’s essays are replete with worldly wisdom. The subject of Bacon in his essays
is man who needs prosperity in this world. This is the reason that the wisdom of his
essays is of a somewhat cynical kind. He teaches us the art of how to get on this
world, how to become rich or prosperous, how to rise to high positions, how to
exercise one’s authority and power so as to attain good results, how to gain
influence, etc. The subject of Bacon in his essays is the man who needs prosperity
in worldly terms. Bacon’s essays bring men to „come home to men‟s business and
bosoms‟. He was a man of Renaissance. He had a deep and shrewd insight in
human nature. He knew that man is naturally more prone to evil than good.
Bacon is clearly seen his essays both as a philosopher and as a moralist. A
philosopher is a person who is deeply interested in the pursuit of truth, while a
moralist is a person who teaches human beings the distinction between what is right
and what is wrong, and urges them to follow the right path only. Bacon appears in
this dual role in many of his essays.
In the essay, Of Truth, Bacon says that truth is the supreme good for human beings.
He seems to be a genuine admirer of truth and seems to install the love of truth in
his readers.
“It is heaven upon earth, to have man‟s mind move in charity, rest in
providence and turn upon the poles of truth.”
Quoting Monatigne, Bacon says that in telling a lie, man is “brave towards God,
and a coward towards men.” He warns human beings against the punishment for
the liar on the Doomsday. But at the same time, he considers a lie as an alloy, which
increases the strength of gold and feels it necessary for survival on the earth. He
says:
“A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure.”

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This is purely a statement of worldly wise man. By putting this statement, he has
diluted the effect of those words which he has said in the praise of truth.
The essay, Of Great Place, though contains a large number of moral percepts yet in
the same essay Bacon also preaches worldly wisdom.
“It is a strange desire, to seek power over others, and to lose power over a
man‟s self.”
And:
“Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown.”
Like a moralist, Bacon shows a high morality when he condemns or at least dislikes
the practice or wrongs on part of high officials.
“In place, there is license to do good and evil; whereof the latter is a curse.”
Afterwards, he appreciates the power of doing good.
“But power to do good is true and lawful end of aspiring.”
But besides these moral approaches, he also supports the idea of adopting certain
disloyal means to reach a high position. He says that men in authority should work
not only for the betterment of public but also for their own status.
“All rising is by a winding stair; and if there be factions, it is good to side a
man‟s self-whilst he is rising and to behave himself when he is placed.”
It is a purely utilitarian approach and it holds a mixture of morality and worldly
success. Even when Bacon urges a man not to speak ill of his predecessors, it is not
because of high morality, but because of the fact that a man who does not follow
advice would suffer with unpleasant consequences.
In the essay, Of Revenge, Bacon condemns revenge and shows a certain high
morality by saying:
“Revenge is a kind of wild justice.”
“One who studieth revenge, keeps his own wounds green.”
Bacon says that there is no place for revenge in a high society. He feels dignity in
forgiving one’s enemy. But then he spoils the effects of these moral words that
revenge is permissible in the cases when one can be safe from the hands of law.
“But then let a man take heed the revenge be such as there is no law to
punish, else a man‟s enemy is still beforehand, and it is two for one.”
In the essay, Of Suitors, Bacon expresses his moral preaching and shrewd insight
as well. He says that a man who takes suits should not be disloyal to his petitioner

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and should tell him the truth about the chances of wining the suit instead of giving a
false hope to the petitioner and that one should not demand undue reward for his
services. He says that those who undertake suits and employ crooked methods to
win are the worst offenders of society. But then he dilutes all this by saying that if a
patron wants to favour or support the undeserving party, he should bring both the
parties to a compromise so that the deserving party would bear not great loss. This
is a purely utilitarian approach. So to Bacon, morality and ethical codes seem inferior
to worldly success.
Of Simulation and Dissimulation is another example of the strange mixture of
morality and prudence.
“The best position and temperature is to have openness in fame and opinion;
secrecy in habits; dissimulation in seasonal use; and power to feign, if there
be no remedy.”
Bacon’s morality has also been described as a cynical kind of wisdom. He shows a
certain incapacity for emotion. He takes the relation of friendship for the benefit. He
gives us the uses and abuses of friendship.
“Those that want friends to open themselves unto, are cannibals of their own
hearts.”
This essay clearly shows Bacon’s cynical wisdom and that his morality is stuffed with
purely utilitarian approach. This impression is confirmed by the substance of those
essays which deal with the strong private relations between men. Of Parents and
Children, Of Marriage and Single Life, and Of Love, all depict a certain kind of
utilitarianism and worldly benefit.
In short, though Bacon’s essays portray morality and high ethical standards yet he
does not appear as an ideal moralist and these are but the “flashes of morality.”
All the above statements show his essentially mean and benefit seeking attitude. He
is not a true moralist. His essays are a handbook of practical wisdom with maxims
which are very helpful for worldly wisdom and success. He is a moralist-cum-worldly
wise man. For this reason, William Blake says about Bacon’s essays:
“Good advice for Satan‟s kingdom.”

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