Tag: wisdom
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Best of Seneca’s wisdom
Seneca wrote extensively about Stoicism and developed its principles in minute detail. In his essays and in the Letters to Lucilius, he illustrated those principles with a vast array of historical anecdotes. I am going to summarise Seneca’s wisdom in four insights that anyone can put into practice today. Feasibility is the main criterion employed…
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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: how reading enhances self-reliance
Details and explanations are worthless to people who lack understanding. Philosophy is inaccessible to individuals devoid of curiosity. Personal growth cannot be cultivated in apathetic, barren soil. Before quitting his job and retiring to live in the countryside, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had witnessed outrageous displays of prejudice and irrationality. Widespread violence had driven him…
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Controversy in Michel de Montaigne’s wisdom
Wisdom without controversy is soon forgotten, in the same way as one forgets unused knowledge, unused spare parts, and unused train tickets. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) made a conscious decision to use controversy in his essays, precisely because he wanted the lessons to be learned and not forgotten. Besides, Montaigne found it much more interesting…
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Michel de Montaigne and wisdom
I have a simple definition of wisdom. It consists of just seven words. I define wisdom as “the habit of seeing what is hidden.” It is a short, but highly demanding definition, which disqualifies most mindless rituals and educated nonsense. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) never quite managed to define wisdom, but his writings interpreted it…
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Schopenhauer’s views on wisdom
For Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), wisdom is an effect of philosophy. I define wisdom as practical ethics, that is, a set of principles that enables humans to make quick decisions in all life’s situations. Wisdom is not necessarily sophisticated, but it must rest on sound philosophical footing. According to Schopenhauer, wisdom is a practical outcome from…
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Aristotle’s concept of practical wisdom
Like Schopenhauer would do twenty-four centuries later, Aristotle regarded practical wisdom (“phronesis” in Greek) as a crucial ingredient of a happy life. In his “Nicomachean Ethics,” Aristotle defined “phronesis” as a skill that enables us to choose the correct course of action and for the correct reasons. In other words, “phronesis” is the daily implementation…
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