solely by one's studies one becomes a scholar rather than a practical man.  Bacon's argument about the value of studies is that moderation is the key to using studies appropriately: studies are wonderful only if influenced by experience because a person's natural abilities are enhanced by studies, but studies without experience, lead to confusion in dealing with the outside world.

According to Bacon, dishonest men condemn education; stupid men admire education; but wise men use education as their real world experience dictates.  He warns the educated man not to use his education to argument unnecessarily with people; not to assume that education always leads to the correct behavior or understanding; not to use education merely to focus on conversation with others.  Rather, Bacon argues, education ("some Bookes") should be read but their advice ignored; other books, ignored completely; and a few books are to be "Chewed and Digested," that is,  understood perfectly and used to guide behavior.  In addition, Bacon advises that some books can be read by others, who take notes, and the notes can substitute for reading an entire book--but these books should not be those that cover important subjects.

Bacon returns to addressing the effects of reading, conversation, and writing: reading creates a well-rounded man; conversation makes a man think quickly; and writing, by which Bacon usually means argument essay writing, makes a man capable of thinking with logic and reason.  Further, Bacon argues, if a man doesn't write very much, he has to have a good memory to compensate for what he doesn't write; if he doesn't exercise the art of conversation, he needs to have a quick wit; and if he doesn't read very much, he has to be able "to fake it," to pretend that he knows more than he does.

History, Bacon argues, makes men wise; poetry, clever; mathematics, intellectually sharp; logic and rhetoric, skilled in argument.  Further, Bacon believes that there is no problem in thinking that cannot be fixed by the appropriate study--just as the right physical exercise cures physical illnesses.  Every disorder of the mind has a cure--for example, if a man cannot use one set of facts to prove the truth of an un-related set of facts, Bacon advises the study of law.

Every defect in thinking can be cured by another form of study.

For a number of reasons, this is a difficult question to answer. For one thing, it is unclear what the “opinion” is supposed to be about?  Is it supposed to be about Bacon’s essay “Of Studies”? Or is it supposed to be about the topic of “study” in and of itself?  Finally, since you are supposed to express you own personal opinion, no one attempting to answer this question can do that for you.

If you are responding to “Of Studies” itself, you might consider such issues as the following:

• How is the essay effectively written? For example, how and why is the opening sentence effective?
• How does Bacon implicitly present himself in this essay?  Why should you believe him or find him a trustworthy advisor?
• What kinds of evidence does he present in order to support his arguments? What kinds of sources does he draw on?
• How is the essay organized? Does its organization have any effect on its success?
• Is the style of the essay accessible?  In other words, can you easily understand what the essay is saying?
• If you had to paraphrase the essay (that is, rewrite it in your own words), what would you write? What features of the essay might make the essay difficult to paraphrase?
• What kind of studying does Bacon himself seem to have done? What is the evidence for such studying?
• What, in Bacon’s opinion, is the ultimate purpose of studying?
• What does Bacon mean, exactly, when he makes the following concluding statement?:

So every defect of the mind, may have a special receipt.

If you are responding to the topic of “studying” in its own right (or in response to Bacon), here are some issues you might consider:

• How do your own views of studying resemble Bacon’s?
• How do your own views of studying differ from Bacon’s?
• How would you justify any differences between your views and his?
• Are Bacon’s ideas still relevant, or are they relics of an earlier time?
• How have methods of study changed since Bacon’s time?  What resources are available to us that were not available to him? How is studying easier today than it was in the seventeenth century?
• What, in your opinion, is the ultimate purpose of studying?
• Do you think that there are different ways of studying and that these different ways can be equally effective?
• What are some problems with the ways we study today?
• How can present-day studying be improved?
• Do you agree or disagree (and why) with the following famous statement from the essay?:

Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested . . . .