For twenty years, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) wrote incessantly about human nature. He made extensive research and addressed a myriad of individual and societal issues. What is the main lesson that he drew from his philosophical studies?
Montaigne presented this lesson in his essay “On pedantry,” but I must first explain what he meant by “pedantry.” In the sixteenth century, the word “pedantry” had a wider meaning. It denoted people who focus on elaborate, rigid, irrelevant details but have little understanding of the underlying principles.
Nowadays, we still use the word “pedant” to refer to people who focus on elaborate, rigid, irrelevant details. Those people have a high opinion of themselves and show off by making ridiculous, unnecessary complicated statements.
However, in our days, the second part of Montaigne’s definition has been lost. Montaigne defined pedants not only for their focus on irrelevant details, but also for their lack of common sense.
Pedants have no general understanding, no common sense, because they are unable to think in terms of principles. Their minds can only apprehend isolated, mostly irrelevant details.
Michel de Montaigne’s essay “On pedantry”
In Montaigne’s words, “pedants lack practical wisdom” in spite of their education, background, or social status. They can memorise and parrot other people’s words, but cannot assess facts independently and draw their own conclusions.
The key lesson conveyed by Montaigne in this essay is that self-reliant, effective, happy individuals are the opposite of pedants. Instead of focusing on irrelevant details, they identify the driving factors. Instead of parroting some else’s words, they want to figure things out.
To illustrate his point, Montaigne compared Aristotle (384-322 BC) to his disciple and friend Theophrastus (371-287 BC) in their approach to learning.
While Aristotle sought to identify the essential principles of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics, Theophrastus devoted himself to writing a treatise about botany. While Aristotle gave advice on finding happiness, Theophrastus compiled endless details about plants morphology.
The same principle can be predicated of Socrates (470-399 BC) and his method of questioning. It help us detect mistakes in our thinking, identify discrepancies and look for the truth. In every situation, we can apply the Socratic method and find the answer.
Montaigne also mentions Demosthenes (384-322 BC) as an example to imitate. Demosthenes trained himself for years in rhetoric and elocution. He wanted to become a public speaker, not to seek popularity, but to convey the truth. As a result, he made countless speeches about liberty and independence, not about secondary, irrelevant subjects.
Personal growth and Michel de Montaigne
We can improve ourselves faster, argued Montaigne, if we avoid pedants in all areas of our lives, and instead, exercise our common sense. In this manner, we can learn faster, increase our self-reliance and our happiness.
In his own life, Montaigne preferred to read fewer, but well-chosen books, which sharpened his mind and contributed to his happiness; the “Parallel lives” written by Plutarch (46-120 CE) was one of his favourite books.
Montaigne regarded Plutarch as the opposite of a pedant; he read Plutarch in the Latin original and enjoyed his simple, well -constructed sentences that get straight to the point. He viewed Plutarch not only as a source of entertainment, but as a source of wisdom.
How do we put Montaigne’s recommendation into practice? First of all, one should not waste time with pedants because there is nothing useful to learn from them; unless we stay away from them, they will eat up our time, energies, and resources.
Second, we should focus on acquiring knowledge and skills that enhance our self-reliance and common sense. Let’s imitate Socrates, who wasn’t the most erudite man, but possessed great common sense.
Montaigne’s wisdom on human nature
Third, let us exercise our talents, seizing every opportunity to practise. Demosthenes became an excellent public speaker through sheer persistence.
Human nature is a framework full of possibilities, which we can choose to seize or ignore. No valuable skill or talent can be developed without substantial work. To this end, we must find the motivation within ourselves.
Fourth, Montaigne advised us to stay away from impractical projects. He meant dead-end, unpromising ventures that, even in case of success, will not improve our lives substantially. Let us not be fooled by the pedants who flock to those activities.
Fifth, the more we focus on practical applications, the faster we can learn; this principle applies not only to learning foreign languages, but to all kind of learning.
Montaigne loved to read Plutarch’s “Parallel lives” because they combine interesting anecdotes with practical wisdom. If Plutarch’s works had only provided entertainment, their appeal would have been severely curtailed.
Sixth and most important principle: Montaigne reminded himself each day that he had the choice. He could stick to his productive habits, or he could let himself decay. One shouldn’t employ the term “human nature” as an excuse. Personal growth depends on our commitment to make the best out of each day.
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