The essay titled “Of the Useful and the Honourable” offers a compelling illustration of the literary legacy left by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592). The essay begins without a clear goal, but quickly adopts a determinedly ethical position, and piles up evidence to support it.
I view this essay as a compelling illustration of Montaigne’s work because it balances out the stylistic, educational, ethical, and historical elements used by Montaigne for two decades.
Let us pass review to those elements, and see how they have shaped Montaigne’s literary legacy. I’m going to cover four key elements: the method for dealing with uncertainty, the ethical awareness, the call to mistrust virtue signalling, and to figure out people’s real motivations.
Montaigne’s essay “Of the Useful and the Honourable”
[1] Montaigne gives readers a valuable method for dealing with uncertainty. He had no qualms about confessing that he didn’t know the answer to certain questions, and in this respect, I place him together with Socrates (469-399 BC).
For the first time in history, a writer committed himself to thinking things through, but without claiming to know the right answers. Montaigne’s intellectual modesty brings fresh air in a historical period of narrow-mindedness, hatred, and religious, persecution.
The essay “Of the Useful and the Honourable” shows that it is difficult to assess our own actions when we face conflicting interests.
Montaigne ponders whether the narration by Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) of his conquest of Gaul portrays the facts fairly, or whether it contains self-serving statements.
History shows how Caesar became increasingly motivated by ambition more than by principles. As he went forward, his focus shifted from the honourable to the useful, which explains why he ended up being assassinated.
In contrast to Caesar’s moral decay, Montaigne is providing readers a solid method for navigate troubled waters: We should take step back and analyse our own motives before taking key decisions.
If we fail to carry out our self-assessment, we may fall prey to the human tendency to disguise utility as virtue. Montaigne’s historical examples widen our views and help us make correct decisions.
Ethics in Montaigne’s literary legacy
[2] Montaigne warns readers against liars and abusers. His words are definite and evocative. There should be no doubt in the reader’s mind that he is facing a lethal danger when facing people who pretend to be virtuous, but have a secret agenda.
Ethical awareness constitutes a key element of Montaigne’s literary legacy. He recounts briefly the life story of the Greek general Alcibiades (450-404 BC), who switched allegiance and went to lead the enemy troops against Athens.
We should learn from Montaigne that character traits (good or detrimental) tend to remain unchanged over time. Alcibiades possessed great military acumen, but was driven by ambition, not by honour. As a result, he switched his allegiance several times in the last decade of his life.
Montaigne’s essays sensitise readers about ethics, and help them grow aware of risks. His literary legacy inspired Albert Camus (1913-1960) and Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) to write poignant essays that call readers to improve their own lives.
Motivation in Montaigne’s literary legacy
[3] Montaigne teaches readers to mistrust virtue signalling, which was already prevalent in sixteenth-century France. He is bold enough to claim that the religious wars in France between Catholics and Huguenots were not driven solely by theology.
People were referring to the Bible and theological authority, but in reality, many profited from the conflict to settle personal accounts, engage in land confiscation, or expand their power.
Montaigne witnessed first-hand the horrors of the Huguenot Wars. In the three decades that followed the start of the conflict in 1562, honour and virtue were frequently invoked as excuses to seek personal benefits.
The “Confessions” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) draw inspiration from Montaigne’s ethical awareness, depicting the hero’s intellectual awakening. We can learn those principles by reading Montaigne’s essays and reflecting on their historical anecdotes.
Truth in Montaigne’s literary legacy
[4] In his works, Montaigne teaches readers to identify the real motivations behind events. In his essay “Of the Useful and the Honourable,” he questions the motives behind the practice of chivalry in Medieval Europe.
Were the mediaeval knights driven by high ideals (just war, defence of the weak) or were just trying to enrich themselves? When warriors travelled from France to Palestine in the times of the Crusades, what was their real motivation?
Montaigne sharpens the readers’ intellect by questioning the official narrative. His literary legacy consists of turning Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) and Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) into hands-on recommendations that everyone can put into practice.
If you are interested in putting rational ideas into practice in all sort of situations, I recommend you my book “Against all odds: How to achieve great victories in desperate times.”