Francis Bacon 101
A student's guide to the epistemology, ideas, and life of Francis Bacon.
By: Alexandra Pushkin

(Photo courtesy of Antonio Litterio via commons.wikimedia.org)
Three Realms of Communication
Francis Bacon held the belief that rhetoric's role was to recall and explain information that has already been discovered. He regarded speech and argument as ways of discussion of existing knowledge rather than invention of new knowledge. Bacon divides language into three realms—with each realm serving as the foundation for the next—as a way of explaining communication.
Organon of Tradition
The first realm deals with the building blocks of words themselves; in other words, the Organon of Tradition deals with aspects pertinent to speaking such as grammar and vocabulary. With these two one can then move onto putting the words together by studying diction. From diction, one then moves to articulation. Articulation pertains to how these words are delivered. This aspect deals with what you are saying and how you are saying it.
So...
In short, the Organon of Tradition is concerned with what you are saying and how you are saying it. It mainly deals with grammar, vocabulary, diction, delivery, voice, and articulation.
Illustration of Tradition
The third realm covers rhetoric. In much less broad terms, the Illustration of Tradition builds off the organization of arguments that the Method of Tradition deals with by going beyond the organization of an argument to establishing an argument that is based off probability. This realm held great significance for Bacon as it dealt with rhetoric, which he believed, along with eloquence, were incredibly impactful.
So...
In short, the Method of Illustration focuses on the rhetoric. It mainly concerns arguments based on probability, imaginative proof, ethos, and style.
Method of Tradition
The second realm focuses on making the argument logical. That is, if the first realm concerns what is being said and how it is being said, then the second realm deals with the planning that goes into organizing these statements or arguments.
So...
In short, the Method of Tradition deals with the organization of what one is saying. It mainly concerns rules for judgment, organization, planning, and logic.
Remember:
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logos is logic
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pathos is emotion
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ethos is credibility