Once You Stop Caring, the Results Come - The Philosophy of Michel de Montaigne

Summary

Michele De Montaigne, a 16th-century philosopher, created a new literary format with his 'Essays,' offering intimate reflections on life, death, and the human condition. His candid and humorous style challenged conventional thought, emphasizing the importance of self-study and skeptical empiricism. Montaigne's work influenced later philosophers and established the essay as a vital non-fiction format, advocating for personal freedom and the exploration of truth through living.

Takeaways

• 📚 Michele de Montaigne is renowned for creating a new literary format with his 'Essays', which has become fundamental to non-fiction writing.
• 👶 Montaigne was born in France in 1533 to a wealthy merchant family with a strong emphasis on education, mastering Latin and the curriculum of the College of Guienne by age thirteen.
• 🏛 In his twenties, Montaigne served as a magistrate for the Court of Périgueux and continued in court service throughout his mid-life.
• 💀 Montaigne's thirties were marked by profound loss, including the deaths of his best friend, father, and younger brother, which led to a contemplation of transience and mortality.
• 🏡 In 1570, Montaigne retreated from public life to his family estate, where he immersed himself in solitude, reading, writing, and deep thought.
• 📖 His masterwork, 'Essays', was published in 1580 and contains a diverse range of topics, reflecting various philosophical influences such as Stoicism, Epicureanism, and Skepticism.
• 🌟 Montaigne's writing style was intimate, candid, informal, and often humorous, offering a new 'means of communication' in the absence of lost friends.
• 🤔 He believed that the mind is fallible and that human life is a mix of folly and wisdom, challenging the traditional view that reason alone leads to mastery in life.
• 🧐 Montaigne's philosophy emphasized self-examination and the exploration of the body's role in shaping our thoughts and lives.
• 🔬 Inspired by the Stoics, he adopted a skeptical empiricism, valuing sense perception and acknowledging the hypothetical nature of all understanding.
• 🎭 Montaigne's 'Essays' is not just a philosophical work but also an art of living, a process of continuous self-discovery and adaptation.
• 🗣️ Montaigne's life and work have had a lasting impact on philosophy and literature, influencing great thinkers and shaping the modern essay format.

Q & A

Who is Michele De Montaigne and what is his contribution to philosophy?

Michele De Montaigne was a French-born philosopher known for creating a new literary format essential to non-fiction and challenging conventional beliefs and thoughts. He is considered one of the most unique and underrated philosophers in history, having produced the 'Essays,' a collection of intimate and candid writings on various topics that reflect a personal exploration of the human condition.

What significant educational achievement did Montaigne accomplish by the age of thirteen?

By the age of thirteen, Montaigne had not only understood Latin but also mastered the entire curriculum of the esteemed College of Guienne in Bordeaux, showcasing his early intellectual prowess.

What personal tragedies did Montaigne face in his thirties that influenced his philosophical outlook?

In his thirties, Montaigne experienced the deaths of his best friend Étienne de La Boétie, likely from the plague, his father from a kidney stone, and his younger brother in a freak accident. He also narrowly escaped death while horseback riding and lost his first child in infancy, which profoundly affected his views on life, death, and the human condition.

How did Montaigne's life change after the personal tragedies he faced?

Following the tragedies, Montaigne retreated from public life and moved back to his family's estate. He withdrew into solitude, locking himself in the tower of his estate with over 1,500 books, where he read, wrote, and thought alone, which led to the creation of his masterwork, 'Essays.'

What was unique about Montaigne's writing style in his 'Essays'?

Montaigne's writing style was intimate, candid, informal, and often humorous. He aimed for complete and utterly honest exploration of the human condition, writing in a way that allowed the reader to see him as he truly was, free of pretense and artifice.

What philosophical stance did Montaigne take regarding the role of reason in achieving mastery in life?

Montaigne disagreed with the common view that reason is the primary vehicle for achieving mastery in life. He believed that reason was a useful tool, but not superior, and that philosophers or intellectuals were not inherently more capable of achieving mastery than anyone else.

How did Montaigne's view of the human mind differ from the traditional philosophical view of his time?

Montaigne viewed the human mind as a feeble and fallible entity, rather than a purely rational one. He believed that human life is a mix of folly and wisdom and that traditional philosophers often overlooked this by being too reverent and rule-bound in their writing.

What was Montaigne's approach to self-study and how did it influence his philosophy?

Montaigne studied himself more than any other subject, considering it his metaphysics and physics. He believed that by examining himself, he could better understand the human condition and the implications of the body on our thoughts and lives.

What principle from Stoicism did Montaigne adopt and how did it shape his philosophy?

Montaigne adopted the Stoic principle of focusing on what one can control and disregarding what one cannot. He believed in governing oneself and applying oneself to events, rather than trying to control events themselves.

How did Montaigne's skeptical empiricism differ from traditional reliance on reason alone?

Montaigne's skeptical empiricism prioritized sense perception over reasoning as a means toward knowledge, but still viewed both as fallible tools. He believed that all understandings are hypothetical, temporary, and subject to scrutiny, rather than seeking absolute truth.

What was the significance of Montaigne's motto 'What do I know?' in the context of his philosophical work?

Montaigne's motto 'What do I know?' reflected his skeptical approach to knowledge and truth. It underscored his belief that human understanding is limited and subject to change, and that philosophy should be about uncovering and expressing the self, rather than finding absolute truth.

How did Montaigne's work influence subsequent philosophers and writers?

Montaigne's work had a profound influence on many seminal philosophers and writers, including Rene Descartes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Blaise Pascal, Friedrich Nietzsche, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Shakespeare. He is considered a founder of modern skepticism and an early proponent of tolerance and open-mindedness.

What was the title of Montaigne's masterwork and what does it signify?

Montaigne's masterwork was titled 'Essays,' which in French means to experiment or to try. This title reflects his approach to philosophy as a process of exploration and adaptation, trying new ideas and perspectives in the art of living.