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 flying colours. What is the relevance level of his works today? My answer is: hundred per cent; each time that I re-read his essays, I learn new things; I mean useful, #practical things, not empty speculations. I would rather prove my case by means of an example. For this purpose, I’m going to refer to Montaigne’s essay “Various events of the same counsel.” The contemporary translation of the title is “On applying the same principle to various cases.” Montaigne’s goal is to elucidate the best method for making decisions. He was well aware that most individuals lack a fixed method for making decisions. Sometimes, they think things through and choose the safest course of action. Other times, they trust their feelings. On other occasions, they follow someone else’s advice, or simply imitate what other people are doing. Montaigne lived in the sixteenth century, but the question in his essay is perfectly applicable today. What is the best #method for making decisions? Should we stick to principles, or adopt a pragmatic, case-by-case approach? Let me underline that, when Montaigne wrote this essay, he was primarily writing for himself. He wanted to find an answer to this question because he considered it important for his own happiness. If I can make better decisions, he reasoned, I’ll avoid errors and obtain better results. Can I employ the same principle each time and reach the correct decision, or is it unrealistic to expect #principles to work on every occasion? Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaignes-relevance-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 life to writing essays, condensing the wisdom of #aristotle (384-322 BC), #seneca (4 BC-65 AD), and other ancient Greek and Roman sources. It is fair to ask whether the lessons from ancient authors are still relevant today. In fact, people had asked the same question in the sixteenth century, when Montaigne was researching and writing his essays. Montaigne had not failed to ask himself this question, but he was very particular in the way he looked for answers. Since he had fallen prey to delusions all too often, he always wanted to consider both sides of any issue. Even if he felt pretty certain of the answer, he would still go through the arguments that contradicted his views. He enjoyed playing devil’s advocate against himself and wouldn’t proclaim victory until he had disarmed his intellectual opponents. “The aim of life is to live happily and serenely,” Montaigne wrote, but this is only possible if we are aware of what we are doing. Like Aristotle in his “Nicomachean Ethics,” Montaigne regarded happiness as the goal, and philosophy as the path. Montaigne considered wisdom as the shortcut to happiness, in particular the wisdom from ancient sources and old people. In his essay “On experience,” he reaffirms the importance of learning from our personal #history and from history in general. “We learned best through trial and error,” noted Montaigne, “because that’s the natural way to learn.” He recalls that it took him some falls to learn horse-riding, but as he progressed, the falls became rarer. He eventually grew skilful enough to ride without thinking. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/the-one-reason-why-michel-de-montaigne-remains-relevant-today/

The process of philosophical development is similar to the process of learning to walk after you have suffered an injury. It takes lots of training for your muscles to work properly and in a coordinated manner. The learning process can prove tough, but works fine if you are willing to put in the hours; there are ways to accelerate and shorten the process, and from those ways, the most effective is the comparison of concepts between various philosophers. Comparisons will help you understand aspects that you had not considered before. It will sharpen and speed up your mind to an extent that you had so far regarded as impossible. In the case of #aristotle ’s theory of the soul, there is no better teaching method than comparing it to Plato’s theory of the soul. #plato , who had been a student of #socrates , taught in his school that the soul is immortal and that it preexists before entering the body. Plato further taught that the soul is on a quest for truth and knowledge, which it can acquire by remembering eternal truths encountered before birth. Plato named those eternal truths or perfect abstractions “Forms.” When Christianity began to spread in the earlier years of the Roman Empire, the soul played a central role similar to the one it had played in Plato’s philosophy. Christianity teaches that the soul is created by God and that is thus immortal. It regards the soul as the seat of all moral responsibility and teaches that the soul survives physical death. After death, the qualities acquired by the soul will lead to its salvation or punishment. Similarly, Islam regards the #soul as a person’s inner essence that will be judged in the afterlife. Depending on the qualities of the soul, a person will ascend to paradise or rot in hell. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/happiness-and-aristotles-theory-of-the-soul/