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Asceticism and Michel de Montaigne’s literary authenticity
Consistency is the very first thing we expect from authentic individuals, that is, consistency between their speech and feats. Nonetheless, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) knew that few thinkers in history have demonstrated a tight consistency. Even in Socrates (469-399 BC) and Plato (427-347 BC), we can detect inconsistencies. Later, in the decades after Aristotle (384-322…
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Asymmetry in Michel de Montaigne’s literary authenticity
Ignorance, improvisation and incoherence are not sources of artistic authenticity. At best, they can lead to colourful chaos or waste. At worst, they can do the artist in. When we refer to artistic and philosophical authenticity, we are referring to truthfulness, consistency, and accuracy. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) devoted twenty years to the pursuit of…
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Analysis of Michel de Montaigne’s authenticity in writing
Authenticity starts and ends with critical thinking. It revolves around checking the accuracy of facts, contesting ready-made conclusions, and pursuing consistency. Truth is the outcome of authenticity, and ethics is the compilation of practical wisdom. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) pursued authenticity day after day. He devoted two decades to writing essays that often questioned “self-evident”…
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Michel de Montaigne and authenticity in writing
The confusion between authenticity and subjectivity keeps exerting a negative influence on philosophy and literature. It is wrong to call an author “authentic” just because he is giving a personal opinion devoid of reasoning and unconnected to facts. When historians categorize the essays written by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) as “authentic,” they mean that those…
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Michel de Montaigne and individualism
I’m always puzzled when I meet individuals unable to make up their minds. They stay put in losing situations and keep going in the wrong direction. They say yes when they do not mean it, because they cannot gather the strength to say no. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was also puzzled by this situation. He…
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Michel de Montaigne and self-awareness
Self-awareness remains as rare a phenomenon nowadays as it has been in prior generations. It requires the ability to apply philosophical ideas in daily life, weighing them against social pressures, personal convenience, and short-term practicality. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the first essayist in history to practise self-awareness systematically. He displayed enormous efforts to compare…
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Critique of Michel de Montaigne’s cultural impact
Sadly, the cultural impact of Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) has been mostly detrimental. Why? Because intellectuals have retained the worst part of Montaigne’s ideas and forgotten his valuable insights. Am I exaggerating in my assessment? I do not think so. Let us look at three wrong Montaigne’s ideas that have taken root in popular culture,…
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Montaigne’s cultural impact, especially on French literature
After devoting twenty years of his life to writing essays, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had developed great expectations for the future. He believed that his essays would appeal to a large public and influence future generations. History has proven Montaigne right but not in the manner he expected. His essays did find a large audience,…
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Michel de Montaigne and the art of conversation
Everybody can talk and put forward his ideas, but it requires alertness and subtlety to draw the best of conversations. In life, time and energies are limited, and conversation takes up a fair measure of those. How can we carry out conversations in ways that enable us to draw maximum benefit? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)…
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Lessons from Michel de Montaigne’s literary appreciation and criticism
It is only recently that people have started to regard literary, historical, and philosophical studies as worthless. Parents warn their children against humanities studies, and instead, try to steer them towards medicine, law, or computer science. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the living proof that, in prior centuries, people had regarded literature, history, and philosophy…
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