 What we find in the philosophy of Michel de Montaigne is a profound prose refreshingly original and adorned with an artful discursiveness far removed from that speculative tempest which sieved throughout the medieval age. Here is no blind following devoid of personal judgment, but instead, as said best by Stefan Zweig, was a philosophy that will teach us how to stay free. How to preserve our inborn clear-mindedness in front of all the threats and dangers of fanaticism, and how to preserve the humanity of our hearts among the upsurge of bestiality. Pursuing knowledge by way of personal experience instead of unsubstantiated speculation, Montaigne claimed to expound upon only one subject, this being himself. He went about this scrupulous self-examination by exposing his own judgments in order to better understand not only their strength, but also their weaknesses. He sought to influence the use of critical judgment and detested the common practice of labeling mere popular opinion as absolute truth, because how many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables. Instead of making these baseless claims, we should seek to gauge their strength. Throughout his essays, the echoes of Hellenistic philosophy, most notably Stoicism, Skepticism, and Epicureanism can be frequently heard in alternating intensities. Along with his views on Christianity and Education, this video will seek to explore how these various schools of thought influenced his philosophy. Montaigne's Educational Ideal Montaigne believed that education should be no vain attempt to mold one's mind to establish beliefs, but rather the sharpening of one's own judgment and conduct. Instead of strict uncompromising book learning, children should be exposed to physical and playful activities. This, he thought, would allow for conformity to social and political customs while avoiding that eager subservience characteristic of those involved in that unholy inquisition. In regards to the study of philosophy, he thought that it should not be done with ostentation as it could lead to unorthodox tendencies and an uncongenial personality. Believing philosophy to be the practice of free judgment, Montaigne urges his readers to adopt a thought process that would encourage the use of free inquiry. Without this, we are inevitably limited by what is taught to us during those credulous years of our youth. Montaigne reminds us that our ignorance, if realized, becomes philosophy. Montaigne's Stoic Ideal Early in his philosophic voyage, Montaigne was in search of any school of thought that would uphold his moral and ethical ideals. And with Christianity busy waging war with itself and burning those trees in his hair ticks at the stake, he would, for a time, look at the world through that stoic lens and strive to abstain from all passions that would disturb the decency of his conduct or the tranquility of his mind. He so venerated Seneca that he would credit him along with Plutarch for whatever value his essays possessed. Contemporaries would even go as far as to refer to him as the French Seneca. Montaigne said to study philosophy is to learn to die, and there could be no greater teachers in the art of death than those great Stoics of antiquity. From his Stoic mentors, he would learn to focus only on what he could control, and the only thing he could control were his own judgments. He said in regards to this, not being able to govern events, I govern myself. Along with this self-governance, he embraced that Stoic virtue of self-doubt, which would come to compliment his philosophy throughout his years. In his essays, he offered us this in consolation. If a man cannot attain to that noble Stoic impassibility, let him hide in the lap of this peasant insensitivity of mine. What Stoics did from virtue, I teach myself from temperance. Montaigne's Epicurean transition. Alas, his scintillating spirit would prove irreconcilable with the life of the Stoic sage. He decided instead to follow his own natural desires. This, of course, as long as no harm was done to those around him. It delighted him to find in that fluent eloquence of Lucretius a philosophy akin to his nature. Following this discovery, he would don the cloak of an Epicurean and claim pleasure as no mere vice, but instead as a legitimate virtue to be enjoyed as long as one goes about seeking it with temperance and moderation. Intemperance is the pestilence which killeth pleasure. Temperance is not the flail of pleasure, it is the seasoning thereof. Montaigne's Skeptic Transformation. With Christianity continuing on with its descent into depravity, Montaigne would come to adopt the skepticism which would, from thereon, enrich his philosophy into that which many remember him by. He would, nearly 100 years before Pascal and 200 before Kant, ask that contentious question, why should we trust reason? His stance on reason, like that of Locke, is based upon the foundation that all knowledge comes from the senses, and because our senses are so often deceptive, reason is therefore unreliable. This precariousness of reason was not Montaigne's only path to skepticism. By way of contemplation about the vastness of beliefs present in the world, he reminds us that the difference between individuals is at times more than that between beast and man. Thus we should avoid limiting our minds to that small corner of the earth that we call home. He avoided absolutes in anything, but took his truth what appeared so to him. He said, I fastened myself on that which I see and hold and go not far from the shore. Taking his stance with the likes of Socrates, he claimed as his motto, the phrase, what do I know? His skeptic ideal would differ from that of Piro by offering his readers this simple pleasure of dismissing knowledge and exercising their own natural judgment. Montaigne and Religion To understand Montaigne's religious views, I think we should first understand his stance on government. He thought that changing forms of government or attempting to overthrow popular custom would inevitably cause more chaos than it would order. Thus, a wise philosophy should make its peace with religion. Montaigne himself maintained a vague belief in a god throughout his life. He notes that he is a Christian only by geographical accident and claimed, if born elsewhere, I should have rather taken part of those who worship the sun. He would reject atheism and agnosticism, categorizing them as unnatural. And even though he often criticized the contemporary Christianity of France, he was as said by Will Durant, too much of a gentleman to set his neighbor's house on fire before he had any other shelter to give him. Montaigne Through Posterity On September 13, 1592, at the age of 59, Montaigne's life would reach its end, but his influence would carry on throughout the ages as perhaps the modern world's first example of a tolerant mind. His philosophy would prove to be the antecedent of that great age of reason, and from his ashes would arise many of history's most influential philosophers, of these, Bale, Bacon, Diderot, Descartes, Rousseau, and even the great Voltaire would feel his influence. Why are we drawn into his philosophy? Well, perhaps because we can relate to it. His faults are laid out with surprising honesty and his informal style stands out among the formal dogmatism of contemporary minds. He teaches us that while seeking to further our own knowledge, we should not get caught up in those metaphysical unobtainables, but should instead focus on what is within our reach, this being ourselves. He made up his own mind and lived his life exactly how he had planned it. He said, I study myself more than any other subject. That is my metaphysics. That is my physics. Since his death, his style may have been copied, but never has it been matched. If you enjoyed this video and would like to see more on Eastern and Western philosophy, consider subscribing to the channel. And as always, thank you for talking philosophy with me. Until next time.