Category: Michel de Montaigne
-
Simplicity in Michel de Montaigne and the Renaissance
Historians attribute to Tacitus (and Cicero to a lesser extent) a style characterised by short, profound sentences that can be interpreted at different levels. Tacitus and Cicero were highly admired in the Renaissance, precisely for that reason. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) produced many quotable texts, but did not follow Tacitus’ and Cicero’s approach. Those must…
-
Cato in Michel de Montaigne and the Renaissance
Ancient Stoicism plays an important role in the “Essays” by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The essays contain a large number of references to Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, two of the leading thinkers in Stoicism. In addition, Montaigne refers on many occasions to Cato (95-46 BC), who also falls in this philosophical movement. He devoted to…
-
Risk taking in Montaigne and the Renaissance
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) lived in dangerous times, but he adopted suitable countermeasures. He protected himself and his family by steering away from honours and competition that could have easily turned sour. He assessed the risks, kept his eyes open, and did overall much better than his peers. The Renaissance was a period of open-mindedness…
-
History in Michel de Montaigne and the Renaissance
The approach to history adopted by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) offers a sharp contrast to what his contemporaries were doing. They revered history and studied it assiduously; it gave them an ideal to emulate. In contrast, Montaigne regarded history as a source of practical wisdom, a source to be assessed and contested as necessary. Take…
-
Practical lessons from Michel de Montaigne and the Renaissance
When Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) developed a deep interest in history, he was following a cultural trend. There are many examples from the sixteenth century of people trying to make sense of their world by studying history, especially the history of ancient Rome and ancient Greece. In the Renaissance, learned people purchased copies of the…
-
Michel de Montaigne and the Renaissance
Critical thinking is the key characteristic of the writings of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), who symbolises the spirit of the Renaissance. Mind you, the social and political context at that time was very different from our century. Daring to say what you think was far from self-evident in the Renaissance. Montaigne exercised critical thinking in…
-
Examples of Michel de Montaigne and humanism
In his “Essays,” Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) often called for reason and tolerance. Those are distinctive features of humanism, together with critical thinking, a love of ancient history, and a strong preference for experience over theory. Montaigne was aware that sheer distance, whether temporal or geographical, can prompt people to suspicion. He wrote that “every…
-
Michel de Montaigne and humanism
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) is the archetypical writer from the Renaissance, the archetypical example of Humanism. Nowadays, his ideas are almost forgotten. They are no longer taught in today’s education system; the study of classical Greek and Roman history, philosophy and literature are no longer a priority. What is Humanism? The concept is related to…
-
Michel de Montaigne’s thoughts on risk
In his pursuit of reason, effectiveness and happiness, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) devoted extensive efforts to assess risks; he recorded his reflections and conclusions in essays like “On one saying of Caesar.” Montaigne refers to a saying from Caesar just to start his discussion about risk. He wants to establish the role played by reason…
-
Practical examples of Michel de Montaigne’s thoughts
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote extensively but the structure of his thoughts is sometimes disrupted. The reason is not difficult to fathom. He did not have a word processor and it was hard for him to edit his handwritten texts. In this respect, he was facing the same problem as any other author during the…
Categories
Recent Posts
- Strengths and weaknesses of the Socratic method
- Schopenhauer: How I became a hardcore realist
- Aristotle: How I got total clarity
- A recurring error in the Socratic method
Tags
aesthetics Art of living authenticity balanced lifestyle biography Buddhism causality character development education effectiveness epistemology equanimity existentialism flourishing friendship governance happiness harmony humanism human nature justice literary style logic love and relationships moderation nature of existence peacefulness peace of mind personal growth pessimism potentiality quick insights relativism Renaissance resilience rhetoric self-discipline simple lifestyle solitude theory of the will the problem of evil Time management unconscious mind virtue wisdom