Commentaries on the Essay, “Of Studies” by Francis Bacon

As stated in the internet website, “Bacon created this essay with interest in understanding the reasoning of intentional delay. Although he relates delay with danger, he accepts the fact that certain situations can be viewed with different priority and weighs the intensity of the delay.” This source further elaborated on the writing style of Francis Bacon and how he intends to lengthen his sentences with the use of modifiers to some subjects. As I have read this commentary, it tries to view Francis Bacon’s work as a work of philosophy dealing with the causes and consequences of delay to an individual. There is just one word I can connect this commentary to, and that is, “Procrastination”. Human beings always have the propensity to procrastinate or delay whatever it is that they need to do for a day. This is one human characteristic that most of us are familiar with. We keep on delaying things when we know that its weight of priority is not that valuable to us. In connection to this, I’d like to introduce the concept of “Delaying Gratification” which is one of the lessons I’ve learned from my Philosophy 15 class. The term, “Delaying Gratification”, is a process of scheduling the pain in such a way that one would choose to undergo it first in order for one to enjoy a better sense of pleasure. This is one thing that we students must know, learn and practice in our study habits. Instead of watching the television or using the computer as the first thing to do when arriving home, for example, we must first prioritize our tasks, assignments and projects to be done because we spend our time on these and they are more important. Moreover, I believe that the fulfillment one gets when getting things done right away is sweeter when we choose to first do what’s pleasurable and consequently have less time to spend on relaxation. Probably, this is the reason why Bacon states that too much time spent on studying is sloth.

from Mary Tess Alombro