Of TRUTH By Sir Francis Bacon

The world knows Sir Francis Bacon for his worldly wisdom. He had
analyzed the world and in “Of Truth”, he guided his readers on how to get
success even in critical situations. Alexander Pope called Bacon the meanest
kind of person because of his worldly philosophy. Bacon always focuses on
worldly benefits and rarely talks about the fruits of eternal life. In “Of
Truth”, he speaks in favor of the truth; he also differentiates it from lies and
forces us to speak the truth in every situation. He supports his arguments
through solid quotations.

Bacon also answers some of the old skeptical people, who were against the
truth. He does not exaggerate the truth but put reality in front of his
readers. A person can only become honest if he speaks the truth. A lie may
delight a person but it does not honor him.

Sir Francis Bacon starts his essay while referring to the Ancient Roman
Governor Pilate, who made the situation critical without analyzing the
truth. Pilate asked for the truth but did not wait for it. If he had known the
truth, he may have not passed the judgment to crucify Christ. He then talks
about skeptical minds, who are not easily convincing. He doubts that Pilate
was also skeptical. Some people do not have strong beliefs. Numerous
people are there in the world and change their minds frequently. They
consider that fixed beliefs are a sign of mental slavery. Whenever they think
or take decisions, they use their free will; they stubbornly ignore every
belief. In the Greeks, there was a school of philosophers having skeptics.
They may have died now, but skeptical people are there today.

Why Do Not People Speak the Truth?

There are many reasons behind not speaking the truth. One of them is that
the discovery of truth requires effort and time. Let us do a critical analysis
of this truth from a real-life example. There are many courts in every
country; each court has thousands of cases; in every case, either the
defendant or the plaintiff is right. Every case has been heard for many years
to find out who is speaking the truth. Secondly, both the parties (plaintiff
and defendant) struggle to prove themselves right. Indeed Sir Francis Bacon
is right. Effort and time are required to discover the truth. The second
reason, that Bacon provides for not speaking the truth, is that it is hard to
digest. When it is discovered people hardly believe it.

Then he talks about lies. He is of the view that lies attract people but no one
adopts the truth. He is confused about why people tell a lie for the sake of a
lie. Nevertheless, he understands that poets sell lie because it gives pleasure
to human beings. Traders tell lies because they want to sell their goods but
lying for the sake of a lie is not understandable.

How Is The Truth Different from the Lie?

Bacon gives a real-life example. He says that if the audience sees a spectacle
on the stage in daylight it will look as it is. On the other hand, if the same
show is presented with candlelight then it will attract more people; it would
give pleasure to the audience. Lie, in the same way, has a beautiful and
shiny cover, due to which people like lies instead of truth. However, if the
truth were mixed with a lie then it would also give pleasure. Moreover,
people have created their own false beliefs, judgments, and opinions. If
these things were snatched from them, their condition would become
miserable as these things give them hope and a strange kind of pleasure.

Critical Analysis of “Of Truth” Shows that Poetry is Harmful?

Is poetry a lie? If so, is it harmful? No, Bacon does not think so. Early writers
of the church called poetry a devil’s wine. It is because it exaggerates things
and is full of fancies. It also takes a person into the world of imagination;
therefore, they called poetry a lie and harmful to human beings. Bacon
agrees that the poetry is a lie but he denies the second allegation. He says
that it is not harmful at all. He divides lies into two categories; short-term
and long-term. Poetry tells lie but people soon forget it; therefore, it causes
no harm to them. Only those lies are harmful that sink into the mind and
are difficult to forget.

Truth Ends Pride:

The light was the first thing, which God had created. Then He bestowed
men, rational faculty. Since then, He is illuminating the human minds.
Bacon advises that whenever a person takes a decision, he should rely on his
rationality. It would be based on truth. He quotes Lucretius, who says that
the realization of truth is the greatest pleasure in the world. When someone
realizes the truth, he becomes aware of its importance. He also recognizes
his false beliefs and silly hopes. Truth also nips pride in the bud due to
which a person becomes pitiful.

Importance of Truth:

If we deeply do a critical analysis of “Of Truth” then we realize that Bacon's

truth has significance. Falsehood brings disgrace and truth brings honor.
Even those persons, who do not speak the truth, know its worth.
Furthermore, the truth is required not only in the field of theology and
philosophy but also in every field of life. Bacon refers to Montaigne, who
says that a liar is always brave toward God but cowardly towards humans.
By telling a lie, a liar directly challenges God. He knows that he has to face
God on doomsday yet he promotes falsehood. Thus, he is brave enough to
get punishment in enteral life.

At the end of the essay, we find some morality. Bacon tries his best to
convince his readers and compels them to speak the truth. The last
argument, which he advances, is the “fear of doomsday”. A liar would be
punished on the Day of Judgment, says Sir Francis Bacon.

Conclusion of “Of Truth Critical Analysis”:

To conclude, Bacon in this essay persuades people to speak the truth at any
cost. He appreciates those people who stick with the truth. Thus, his tone in
this essay is didactic; his style is lucid and his examples are rich. Solid
references from Greeks, Romans, other subjects, and various philosophers
demonstrate the experience and knowledge of the writer in every field of
life. It seems that he has made a critical analysis of his experiences and then
written: “Of Truth”. In short, the whole essay is worth reading for the
person, who wants success in both worlds.