Of Goodness and Goodness of Nature
by
Francis Bacon
(Summary)
The essay deals with several marks of
goodness. Bacon appears as a moralist or preacher who teaches us to exercise
goodness or charity without limit. He says, that goodness or charity is the
character of the Deity. Goodness aims at the welfare of men. Goodness consists
in performing charitable actions, while goodness of nature means the
inclination or desire to perform such actions. Goodness or charity is the highest
of all human virtues. For Bacon: The desire of power, in excess, caused the
angels to fall: the desire of knowledge, in excess, caused man to fall; but in
charity there is no excess; neither can angel or man come in danger by it.
The
angels in heaven revolted against God because they became jealous of God's unlimited
power. The result was that these angels were expelled from paradise. Man ate
the fruit of the tree of knowledge in defiance of the command of God, and man too
was expelled from the Garden of Eden. In this case, man's excessive desire for knowledge
led to his downfall. Bacon says that there can be no excess in charity. No
matter how charitable a man may be, we can't accuse him of excess in the matter.
Nor can men suffer any punishment as result of excessive charity. Bacon says, that
the spirit of goodness is deeply rooted in human being. If a man is not good to
his fellow human beings, he will show kindness to animals like the Turks. The
Turks do not show any goodness or charity to fellow human beings, but they are
kind to beasts, and they feed dogs and birds. There are persons who are by
nature malicious or spiteful. Malicious persons take pleasure in aggravating
the miseries of others. They are like the flies which tormented Lazarus by
setting down on his wounds. Malicious man strives only to hurt others. Men of
this type are fit to become politicians who have to face all kinds of
uncertainty and danger. Bacon mentions several marks of kindness.
The
essay has a popular appeal. What Bacon wants to teach from this essay is practical
though provoking. It is too familiar and ethical. The subject matter is impressive.
The essay appeals to our mind. Bacon tries to reason us into goodness and argue
us into charity. He speaks like a logician. However, the reasoning is sound and
flawless. The most remarkable quality of the essay is the economy of words
employed to convey ideas. It is a marvel of condensation. The moral percepts are
made interesting and entertaining by means of allusions, quotations and illustrations.
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