Michel de Montaigne’s impact on early modern philosophy

John Vespasian

John Vespasian explains that Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had zero impact on early modern philosophy because his great merit was to look to the past, not to the future. As a result, Montaigne developed a new, fresh, truly modern mentality that put him decades ahead of his literary peers. When Montaigne looked at history, mostly antique history, he picked up ideas and facts that he found useful. He was very familiar with the doctrines of Pyrrho (360-270 BC) and Sextus Empiricus (160-210 AD), but adopted only a mild version of their scepticism. Montaigne’s modern mentality is the key to his influence in all areas of culture, but not primarily on philosophy. He did not even join the debates in philosophical circles because his main concern was happiness, not certainty or truth. Two generations later, Rene Descartes (1596-1650) would write his famous “Discourse on the Method” and his “Meditations on First Philosophy.” In the meantime, Montaigne had opted for remaining oblivious to the debate. Why did Montaigne ignore mainstream philosophical books and debates? Because his interest in philosophy was primarily instrumental, not fundamental. His modern mentality shows in his practical approach. He steered away from theoretical issues like most individuals do nowadays. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-impact-on-early-modern-philosophy/