Learning and Politics

¹ Learning has received disgraces from politics.

Learning:

• softens men’s minds
• makes them less suited for the honour and exercise of arms.
• mars and perverts men’s dispositions for government and policy by:
  • making them too curious and irresolute by variety of reading, or
  • too peremptory or positive by strictness of rules and axioms, or
  • too immoderate and overweening by reason of the greatness of examples, or
  • too incompatible and differing from the times by reason of the dissimilitude of examples; or
• at least, diverts men’s travails from action and business, and bringeth them to a love of leisure and privateness
• brings into states a relaxation of discipline, whilst every man is more ready to argue than to obey and execute.

Carneades the philosopher came in embassage to Rome. Rome’s young men began to flock around him, being allured with the sweetness and majesty of his eloquence and learning.

Out of conceit, Cato surnamed the Censor who was one of the wisest men that ever lived.

Cato told the open senate that they should evict Carneads quickly, lest he should enchant the the youth and change the state’s manners and customs.

Out of the same conceit, Virgil wrote about the advantage of his country and the disadvantage of his own profession. He made a separation between:

• policy and government
• arts and sciences.

He attributed the one to the Romans. He yielded the other to the Greeks: Tu regere imperio popules, Romane, memento, Hæ tibi erunt artes, etc.

Anytus accused Socrates that he:

• withdrew young men from due reverence to the laws and customs of their country
• professed a dangerous and pernicious science, which:
  • made the worse matter seem the better
  • suppressed truth by force of eloquence and speech.

² But these and the like imputations have rather a countenance of gravity than any ground of justice.

Experience shows that, both in persons and in times, there has been a concurrence in learning and arms. These flourish in the same men and the same ages.

The best combination is that of a general and scholar. For example:

• Alexander the Great was Aristotle’s scholar in philosophy
• Julius Cæsar was Cicero’s rival in eloquence

Scholars could also be great generals, better than generals being great scholars. Examples are:

• Epaminondas the Theban
  • He was the first that abated the power of Sparta
• Xenophon the Athenian
  • He was the first to overthrow the monarchy of Persia

This concurrence is yet more visible in times than in persons, by how much an age is greater object than a man.

For both in Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Græcia, and Rome, the same times that are most renowned for arms are, likewise, most admired for learning.

• The greatest authors and philosophers, and the greatest captains and governors, have lived in the same ages.

In man, the ripeness of the strength of the body and mind comes much about an age.

• Bodily strength comes earlier

Likewise in states, arms and learning, where arms correspond to the body, and learning corresponds to the soul of man, have a concurrence or near sequence in times.

³ It is very improbable that learning would hurt policy and government.

Rather, it would enable them.

It is wrong to:

• commit our bodies to empiric physicians who only know a few things but do not know the causes of diseases, nor the true method of cures.
• rely on lawyers who only practice a few things but are not schooled by their books
  • These are easily surprised when matter falls out of their experience

Politicians disable the learned men by calling them ‘pedantes’.

Yet the governments under such learned men, and not of politicians, have excelled. This was the state of Rome:

• for the first 5 years
  • This was magnified by the minority of Nero in the hands of Seneca, a pedenti
• for 10 years’ during the minority of Gordianus the younger
  • This was applauded by Misitheus, a pedanti
• before that, in the minority of Alexander Severus
  • He was in hands of women who were aided by the teachers and preceptors.

Another example is the government of the Bishops of Rome, as the government of:

• Pius Quintus, and
• Sextus Quintus

In the beginning of their terms, they were both seen as but pedantical friars.

• But they did greater things and followed truer principles of state than those who rose from an education and breeding in affairs of state and courts of princes.

Men who are bred in learning usually seek convenience for the present.

• The Italians call it ragioni di stato

Pius Quintus spoke out against these, called them inventions against religion and the moral virtues.

The ragioni di stato is as useless as a physician is to a very healthy body.

Neither can the experience of one man’s life furnish examples and precedents for the event of another man’s life.

Sometimes, the grandchild resembles the ancestor more than the son. Likewise in many times, the events of the present times match better the events in ancient times than the recent ones.

The wit of one man can no more countervail learning than one man’s means can hold way with a common purse.