Bacon’s implication that Pilate, the Roman Governor was not serious is not supported by historical accounts according to which the question “What is Truth?” was asked in perplexity. Pilate is supposed to have been inclined to release Jesus but was ultimately influenced by the persistent Jews to condemn him.
There are people for whom a constant change of opinion is a pleasure. These people consider it a mental slavery to have fixed beliefs. They desire to have complete freedom of thought and action. They do not care to find out the truth and stick to it. They regard inconsistency as freedom of thought and deed. The Greek Sophists and Sceptics who doubted and hesitated to believe in any doctrine or principle are of course now extinct. Yet there are still some persons in the present age who consistently change their opinions and advocate scepticism like those ancient philosophers of the sect founded by Pyrrho.
These people cannot, however, support their scepticism with the kind of strong arguments that the ancient philosophers used to put forward because they lack that intellectual vigour.
Truth puts a restraint upon the minds of men, and checks their freedom of thought, for once a truth has been discovered, a man cannot keep changing his mind but has to abide by that truth.
Men lie for the sake of lying and this, though corrupt, is basic to man’s nature—a cynical statement, but it speaks for Bacon’s keen observation and knowledge of human nature.
Giving his own arguments to explain the love of a lie for its own sake, Bacon says that Truth is like the bright clear daylight. In daylight, the shows and spectacles presented on stage do not appear as impressive or exciting and attractive as they do in the soft, dim artificial light of candles at night. Similarly, the lies and falsehood and pretences are more alluring than the clear light of truth. Man prefers to live by illusion—by dim and artificial lamplight—rather than by the pure light of truth which would show them up as fake. The analogy is very appropriate.
Bacon compares the actions of the men in this world to the pageants and spectacles of the stage. These were popular entertainments of the Elizabethan age. Each involved a degree of disguise and pretence, as it was presented on stage.
He compares truth to a pearl. Truth, too can best be appreciated by day light just like the lustre of a pearl. Truth can not come to the level of a diamond or carbuncle which can be seen at its best in different artificial lights. Its light is clear and white and not colourfully brilliant like that of a diamond or carbuncle. Truth lacks the charm of variety which a lie possesses. Truth mixed with lies gives more pleasure. What makes life more interesting is colour and variety, a mixture of good and evil, of truth and falsehood. [This statement speaks for Bacon’s keen insight into the human mind.]
The sentence recalls the balloon which collapses when the wind is taken out of it. Similarly, the man shrinks when truth exposes his vain opinions. Thus, his sense of importance collapses.
Poetry as the wine of the Devil is a phrase compounded of two statements—St. Augustine’s who called poetry “the wine of error” and Hieronymus’ who said it is “the food of demons.” The devil is, of course, the father of lies—hence poetry is composed of lies. This has Platonic overtones.
Feeds the imagination—fills the mind with all kinds of unreal, fantastic ideas.
The lies represented by poetry do not leave a lasting impression. It is there momentarily, and then flits away.
Compares the wooing of a woman with the wooing of truth by a lover of truth. The first step is seeking after truth which is like courtship. The next step is the knowledge of the truth. Then comes faith in the value of truth which gives rise to perpetual enjoyment.
The highest quality that human nature can have.
Sabbath was the period of rest following the six days of labour during which God created the world. During the period of work, God created first the light that is perceived by the senses, i.e., the eyes. Lastly, He created the light of reason—the power of the intellect and reasoning that would help man to move from ignorance to enlightenment, from darkness to light. In His time of leisure, God continues to lead man towards enlightenment. The implication is that reason is the highest faculty given to man, hence reason should be employed in understanding and enjoying truth.
Out of formless void, where there was nothing of definite shape, God created the universe and illuminated it.
The reference is to the second kind of light i.e., the light of reason.
The lines emphasize the greatness of truth. A man who has achieved truth is in a position higher than anyone else. From this position which cannot be conquered by anything else, he can look at the errors, and lies, at the people groping about in the midst of falsehood, and storms of doubt. But if he looks at all this, he is to do so with a feeling of pity and sympathy for those men, and not with pride and self-aggrandizement.
Man would achieve the supreme bliss of paradise on this earth if his motives are governed by charity which is the Christian virtue of universal love, and if he submits his will to God’s and his whole life revolves around truth (as the planet revolves on its axis). Truth should be his axis: every moment of his life should be faced without a swerve from this Truth-axis. In a life of flux, man can rely on three things that are eternally noble—universal love, unflinching trust in God and steadfast allegiance to truth. This is a beautiful, truly poetic analogy.
Note: So far Bacon has been talking about philosophical truth. Now he comes to the truth of daily life i.e., truthfulness.
An alloy is a mixture of two metals. An alloy of gold and silver is certainly stronger, but it diminishes the purity of the individual metals. Similarly, the mixture of falsehood with truth may be, at times, profitable and expedient, yet it shows the inferiority of the man who entertains it. This is another striking analogy.
Dishonest practices are Satanic. The serpent is the symbol of Satan who, disguised as a snake, entered the garden of Eden and tempted Eve. It resulted in the fall of man and a curse upon the serpent. The serpent thus crawls and grovels upon its belly and does not walk upright on its feet. The crooked and mean tactics adopted by businessmen are aptly compared by Bacon to the zigzag manner in which a serpent moves.
If one considers the matter well, a man who knowingly tells a lie is in a paradoxical position. He defies God, but is fearful of human beings. A liar lacks the courage to tell the truth to his fellowmen, but this implies that he has the courage to challenge God. The law of God is the law of Truth and in telling a lie a man appears to say “What can God do to me? —thus challenging his omnipotence, or “How can He Know it?” —thus challenging His Omniscience. So, a liar fears his fellow human beings but has no fear of God.
The prevalence of falsehood on earth is like the call of the trumpet—an invitation to God to pronounce His judgment on mankind and punish it.
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Of Truth by Francis Bacon Summary
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