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Productiveness and Seneca’s advice to live in accordance with nature
The ancient Roman republican values can be illustrated by individuals like Cincinnatus or Scipio Africanus. Their actions embody valour, equanimity, and above all, productiveness. Cincinnatus (519-430 BC) was a farmer, but found himself appointed to lead the Roman army for a while. He did his best to win the war, and as soon as it…
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Realism of Seneca’s advice to live in accordance with nature
It’s hypocritical to recommend poverty when one is wealthy, or to recommend passivity when one has displayed remarkable industriousness for decades. I am afraid that Seneca is to blame on both counts. Nonetheless, he did not mean to deceive his readers. He was sincere in his feelings, convinced that he was dispensing good advice. Indeed,…
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Feasibility of Seneca’s advice to live in accordance with nature
Like most ancient philosophers, Seneca used grandiloquent terms to spice up his writings. For instance, he employed the words “cosmos” and “natural order” to designate rather mundane events. Similarly, he used the word “logos” to mean “destiny.” Respect for the natural order is Seneca’s favourite theme. He regarded nature as all-encompassing, not just as wilderness…
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Seneca on living in accordance with nature
View Post↗ When taken out of context, philosophical statements can prove misleading; when poorly defined, they become dangerous; and the more frequently they are repeated, the more dangerous they become. Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) did his fair share of repeating poorly defined statements. The fact that he eschewed debates spared him uncomfortable questions. For instance,…
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Why Michel de Montaigne remains relevant today
Until recently, society used to hold old individuals in high regard. It was recognised that wisdom comes from experience, and that learning from other people’s mistakes is more practical than making our own. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) made it his life’s mission to compile the wisdom of the past. He devoted twenty years of his…
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Michel de Montaigne’s relevance today
Before devoting time to reading a classical work, it is fair to ask about its relevance today. Why should I devote my energy to reading a classic? What lessons can I possibly learn from an author who lived centuries ago? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) is one of the few classics that passes this test with…
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Michel de Montaigne’s impact on French literature and cultural identity
In assessing cultural influences, I find it more conclusive to look at philosophical values than at anecdotes and artifices of style. Thinkers leave behind ethical systems to live by, and the very best of those thinkers build intellectual systems to support their values. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) belongs to the group that left behind ethical…
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Michel de Montaigne’s contribution to early modern philosophy
When asked about someone’s contribution to philosophy, I reply by giving a list of his innovations. I want to underline the new concepts that he brought forth, the intellectual connections that nobody else had made until that point. In the case of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), I couldn’t point to any innovation. He didn’t put…
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Why Michel de Montaigne had no impact on early modern philosophy
I am always puzzled when I see historians or philosophers put forward theories for which the evidence is rather thin. Even if they write a treatise about their theory, readers will ask to see the evidence, the facts, the clues. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) produced a compelling collection of essays, but historians have exaggerated his…
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Michel de Montaigne’s impact on early modern philosophy
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had zero impact on early modern philosophy because his great merit was to look to the past, not to the future. As a result, Montaigne developed a new, fresh, truly modern mentality that put him decades ahead of his literary peers. When Montaigne looked at history, mostly antique history, he picked…
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