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Michel de Montaigne and human nature
Seldom has a philosopher devoted so much effort to writing about human nature. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) spent two decades doing research about philosophy and psychology, gathering lessons about happiness. Montaigne’s objective was to identify the best patterns of behaviour, those that promote individual and social happiness. He read everything about Socrates (470-399 BC), as…
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Happiness and Michel de Montaigne’s views on the nature of truth
Can a person become happy if he refrains from taking sides, making decisions, and pursuing clear objectives? Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) addressed this subject in his essay “On Moderation,” where he praises moderation as a crucial virtue. Montaigne defines “moderation” as the contrary to “extreme ideas and behaviour.” Thus, he is giving a subjective definition…
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Michel de Montaigne and the nature of truth
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) devoted twenty years of his life to writing essays on everything under the sun. He chose questions that he found intriguing, researched them thoroughly, and enumerated the arguments in favour and against. Although Montaigne deployed massive efforts to research, he seldom reached definite conclusions on anything. He gave a detailed overview…
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Consequences of Montaigne’s moral and cultural relativism
The question of cultural relativism has profound, wide- and long-reaching implications. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) emerged in the sixteenth century as the most prominent defender of moral and cultural relativism, but never grasped the full impact of his arguments. For instance, Montaigne failed to grasp the implications of seemingly anodyne statements such as “pleasure can…
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Michel de Montaigne and cultural relativism
Many people today ask themselves if all cultures are equal, or if some cultures are superior to others; the question is as old as humanity, and the answer is crucially important. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) asked himself this same question in the sixteenth century, and examined in great detail the arguments from both sides. His…
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Critique of Michel de Montaigne’s moral relativism
We all need clear philosophical principles to make accurate, quick decisions. In the absence of principles, decisions depend on emotions, prejudice and superstition. The essayist Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) asked himself how to make good decisions, and recorded his reasoning in detail. Montaigne was puzzled by the wide variety of opinions that people hold when…
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Michel de Montaigne and moral relativism
The search for happiness relies on certainty in reasoning and effectiveness in action. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) coined a brand of moral relativism that, he assumed, could help us reduce mistakes in reasoning. Montaigne’s arguments give us abundant food for thought, in particular when it comes to making crucial decisions. How much can you trust…
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Social organisation and Michel de Montaigne’s scepticism
When historians refer to scepticism in the works by Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592), they point to his general reluctance to accept absolute truths. Taken to extremes, scepticism weakens the confidence in one’s perceptions and ability to reason. Since Montaigne wrote essays during a twenty-year period, his own definition of scepticism shifted from general doubts, to…
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Michel de Montaigne’s scepticism
I view Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) as the first thinker who realized that scepticism can save one’s life. His insight is still true today, and will remain true for as long as people keep using deceit and misrepresentation to further their interests. Unfortunately, Montaigne’s defence of scepticism is rather messy. In some essays, he rightly…
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Michel de Montaigne as a precursor of existentialism
For historians of philosophy, there is a definite proof that Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was a forerunner of modern existentialism; they point to Montaigne’s essay titled “To study philosophy is to learn to die” and argue that it contains all key ideas of existentialist philosophy. I cannot deny Montaigne’s position as a precursor of Jean-Paul…
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