Montaigne’s essays are a kind of instructive for life, from those places to which, once known, he turns in the hope of finding clarity. Throughout the pages of the Essays Michel de Montaigne provides us with a continuing lesson in wisdom. There is no subject that is foreign to him: some subjects that have been mentioned are friendship, fear, the education of children, vanity or experience. I feel that for Montaigne, who lived through one of the most violent times in human history, lying is one of the worst possible vices because it detracts from the value of humans. According to Montaigne, fear is a corrosive emotion that we must try to shake off. It is a strange passion and the most conducive to upset judgment and generate hallucinations.
The risk of fear is that it paralyzes, and that is the worst thing we can do in tragic moments.
2 thoughts on “Michel de Montaigne – “The philosopher””
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Thinking about how NY if facing such a crisis with the pandemic Montaignes work takes on a life of its own when you apply his ideas to how we are handling life. I like how you mentioned the risk of fear that is paralyzes is something I have been observing in many people who are frozen in fear over covid-19. I think it would be interesting to see how Montaigne would create an instructive essay to help guide people through this crisis.
I think Montaigne did give us ideas to guide us from his Essay. What is it to be a human being, he wondered? Why do other people behave as they do? Why do I behave as I do? These questions are frequently asked and talked about by people during the pandemic. Montaigne tried to record what it felt like to be in his Essay. Throughout his areas of exploration, we can learn from him about coping with fears (just we do now), managing questions of belief and doubt, relating to other people.