Table of Contents
Introduction
Sir Francis Bacon argues that society would benefit from teaching kids the behaviors (or “deeds”) that are most desirable for that society in his 1625 essay “Of Customs and Education.” Francis Bacon, a philosopher, statesman, and lawyer, wrote his first book, Seene and Allowed, in 1597.
There are many different writing styles used in the Essays, from the simple and unadorned to the epigrammatic. They address issues that are taken from both public and private life, and in each instance, the essays approach their subjects methodically from a variety of viewpoints, considering many arguments.
A much expanded second edition with 38 essays was published in 1612, replacing the first version’s 10 essays. Another, with 58 writings, appeared in 1625 under the title Essayes or Counsels, Civil and Moral.
The power of nature
Francis Bacon begins his essay by saying that men tend to think more in accordance with their inclinations, speak and write in accordance with their education and ingrained ideas, but act in accordance with their habits. Because of this, Machiavel correctly observes that neither the power of nature nor the courage of words can be trusted unless they are supported by custom.
His example shows that a person shouldn’t rely on another person’s ferocity or resolve to accomplish a desperate plot, but rather choose someone who has previously handled blood. Although Machiavel was not aware of Friar Clement, Ravillac, Jaureguy, or Baltazar Gerard, his rule that nature and verbal engagement are not as forceful as custom still holds true.
The role of tradition in society
Only superstition has grown to the point that people of first blood are now as rigid in their beliefs as butchers, and a votary’s decision is made to be equivalent to tradition even when it comes to blood. A guy would be perplexed to hear people confess, protest, engage, and offer stirring speeches, only to act in the same way they always have as if they were dead pictures and motors powered solely by the wheels of tradition.
We also observe the tyranny or dominion of tradition for what it is. The Indians, namely their wise men’s sect, discreetly sacrifice themselves by fire by lying down on a mound of wood. No, the wives strive to be burned beside their husbands’ bodies.
Customs can have a strong impact on the mind and body.
In the past, Spartan boys were accustomed to being unrelentingly scourged on the altar of Diana. 4 I recall that an Irish rebel who had been sentenced to death in England at the beginning of Queen Elizabeth’s reign petitioned the deputy to hang him from a withe rather than a halter because that is how previous rebels had been executed.
Monks in Russia will spend the entire night in a vessel of water until they are working with hard ice as penance. There are a lot of instances where custom has an impact on the mind and body.
The Importance of Education
Therefore, let folks make every effort to acquire good traditions since custom is the primary magistrate of man’s life. Certainly, the early custom is ideal. This is what we mean when we say that education is the best kind of early custom. As a result, we can conclude that languages are best learned while a person is young since their joints and tongue are more flexible to all gestures and expressions.
Because of this, it is true that late learners cannot perform as well unless there are some exceptionally rare brains that have avoided settling and have instead remained flexible and open to ongoing revision.
The problem with current goals and means
The power of custom copulate and conjoined and collegiate, however, is much stronger if the power of custom simple and separate is great. As a result, the power of tradition lies in his elevation there since their example instructs, company solaces, emulation quickens, and grandeur raises.
5 Undoubtedly, well-ordered and disciplined civilizations are the foundation for the enormous multiplicity of qualities found in human nature. Because commonwealths and excellent governments help cultivate virtue, they don’t do much to replant the seeds. The unfortunate thing is that the most efficient means are currently used to achieve the least desired goals.
Conclusion
Despite the fact that Bacon saw the Essays “simply as a reenactment of my past studies,” his contemporaries highly praised him and even credited him with creating the essay genre. The breadth of Bacon’s borrowings from the writings of Montaigne, Aristotle, and other authors was later revealed by investigation, but the Essays still enjoy the greatest regard.
In this essay, Francis Bacon argues that custom and habit are more powerful than nature or words in shaping human behavior. He uses examples from history and contemporary life to support his claim that people are more likely to act in accordance with their habits than their inclinations or their beliefs.
