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rpmiller's review
2.0
The book has some 59 essays of Francis Bacon covering just about every topic. While he apparently had little knowledge of many of these topics, Bacon was not reluctant to write of them. In addition, the state of intellectual inquiry at the time makes for incredible accounts of some topics, religion and the nature of the universe being such topics. I was quite impressed with Bacon's writings on interactions among people and in communities. Although written from the perspective of a government of kings, princes and noblemen, his insights are well worth the effort of finding them among the other trivia of these essays. Second to interpersonal relationships was his description of a garden fit for a prince or nobleman, which should be at least 30 acres of horticulture with different portions in constant bloom. Still, the reading was tedious and difficult for one living in the 21st century.
Bacon's story of The New Atlantis was somewhat interesting, although generally a far fetched fiction.
The selections chosen to represent Milton included his treatise on an English law limiting publication and printing to only material licensed by Parliament. While there were many good arguments put forth, those arguments were presented with various digressions so that each was almost lost in the presentation of insignificant detail. In criticizing this work, I would point to two problems: a grammatical issue in that many paragraphs went on for multiple pages, with more and more examples and detail that it became absurd; then there is the death of a thousand swords that backfires on Milton, where he presents so many arguments (with the aforementioned absurd detail) that the entire essay becomes absurd in itself. In my opinion, partly as a difference in the style of my contemporaries, I believe a much more concise presentation of only the most significant arguments might have convinced Parliament to repeal the law rather than keep it place for the next fifty years.
On Browne, he was able to present a moderate regard for the multitude of diverse Christian religions. I will say nothing more, as the rest did not interest me. In jest, I say if onely Browne could have been perswaded to spell in the modern way, he may have also learnt to think rationally.
Bacon's story of The New Atlantis was somewhat interesting, although generally a far fetched fiction.
The selections chosen to represent Milton included his treatise on an English law limiting publication and printing to only material licensed by Parliament. While there were many good arguments put forth, those arguments were presented with various digressions so that each was almost lost in the presentation of insignificant detail. In criticizing this work, I would point to two problems: a grammatical issue in that many paragraphs went on for multiple pages, with more and more examples and detail that it became absurd; then there is the death of a thousand swords that backfires on Milton, where he presents so many arguments (with the aforementioned absurd detail) that the entire essay becomes absurd in itself. In my opinion, partly as a difference in the style of my contemporaries, I believe a much more concise presentation of only the most significant arguments might have convinced Parliament to repeal the law rather than keep it place for the next fifty years.
On Browne, he was able to present a moderate regard for the multitude of diverse Christian religions. I will say nothing more, as the rest did not interest me. In jest, I say if onely Browne could have been perswaded to spell in the modern way, he may have also learnt to think rationally.
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