Michel de Montaigne Trivia Quiz

Answer: 16th century

Michel de Montaigne was born on February 28, 1533, at the Château de Montaigne in the Périgord region of France and died on September 13, 1592. He wrote his "Essays" primarily between 1570 and 1592, continuously revising and expanding them throughout his life.

Answer: Cultural relativism

"Of Cannibals" is arguably Montaigne's most famous essay. Despite its title, it devotes relatively little focus to the actual practice of cannibalism.

Cultural relativism is the belief that the values and practices of different cultures should be understood and evaluated within the context of those cultures, rather than judged by the standards of another culture. While Montaigne does not explicitly use this term, his views align closely with the concept. Although, Cultural relativism, as a formalized idea, was first widely articulated in the early 20th century by American anthropologist Franz Boas and his students.

In his essay, Montaigne describes the rituals of the Tupinambá people of Brazil, particularly their practice of ritually eating the bodies of their dead enemies. He emphasizes that this act is not driven by hunger, but by a desire for extreme revenge. He argues that Europeans employed more brutal methods of execution, such as burying prisoners up to the waist, shooting them with arrows, and hanging them. Montaigne uses this custom as a lens to critique European society, challenging ethnocentric assumptions and exposing the moral hypocrisy inherent in European civilization. By engaging with the "other," Montaigne encourages his readers to confront their own biases and reassess their moral frameworks.

Montaigne admires the simplicity of the Tupinambá people, contrasting it with the artificial complexity of his own society. He emphasizes their lack of familiar institutions and structures such as commerce, written language, wealth, or government. There are no systems of property, hierarchy, or division of labor, and even the concepts of deceit, envy, or greed are unknown to them. Montaigne sees them as living in closer harmony with nature, and thus embodying a form of purity and virtue that he believes has been lost in more "advanced" societies.

Answer: True

In this essay, Montaigne reflects on his deep friendship with the French writer and philosopher Étienne de La Boétie, who died at the age of 32. La Boétie even bequeathed his library and papers to Montaigne. Montaigne regarded him as one of the greatest minds of his time, stating, "I know of no man to be compared with him."

Parent-child relationships, he argues, are shaped by respect and duty rather than reciprocity, with differences in age and authority preventing true friendship. Romantic love, while intense, is fleeting-driven by physical desire rather than intellectual or spiritual connection, and it tends to fade once those desires are satisfied.

True friendship, by contrast, is a voluntary bond untainted by external motives such as profit or obligation. Montaigne sees such friendships as exceedingly rare, requiring a perfect harmony of minds and dispositions. Although, he excludes women from this ideal, asserting that they lack the intellectual and emotional steadfastness necessary for such deep bonds.

Answer: Italy

Michel de Montaigne embarked on his journey in 1580. His diary didn't gain much recognition despite its historical and literary value. Montaigne kept his journey secret from his friends, and it was only discovered centuries after his death. Only in 1774, it was finally published.

His primary motivation was to seek relief from persistent kidney stones by visiting renowned spas and thermal baths, particularly in Italy. Additionally, he had a strong desire to broaden his understanding of the world, believing that travel allowed for intellectual and cultural enrichment. His journey also had a religious dimension, as he visited significant pilgrimage sites such as the Holy House of Loreto.

His travels focused mainly on Italy, where he observed regional customs, governance, and social structures. Montaigne documented his experiences in a detailed journal, offering insights into cultural differences and human nature. As he crossed the Alps on his way home, a sense of melancholy emerged in his writing. The introduction to the book notes: "All interest in the places he passed is now vanished, and the humours of the road appeal to him no more. He is going home, an old man afflicted by an ailment which has proved incurable, with only the prospect of a few years of invalid life before him."

Answer: To cultivate inner peace and free oneself from dependence on external affairs

Montaigne notes a remark attributed to Socrates: when someone told Socrates that a certain man had traveled far yet remained unchanged and unimproved, Socrates replied, "I very well believe it, for he took himself along with him." This quote reflects Montaigne's view on the nature of solitude and self-reflection. He argues that without confronting one's inner struggles, they will persist regardless of external circumstances- in other words, we cannot escape ourselves.

To cultivate inner peace, one must detach from external opinions (how the world perceives us), live with self-respect and integrity, and free oneself from desires and ambitions that disturb disrupt inner peace. Among the many examples Montaigne provides, he cites Stilpo, the Greek philosopher, who suffered the destruction of his town and the loss of his family and property. Yet, despite these misfortunes, Stilpo claimed to have lost nothing, for he considered his true wealth to lie not in external possessions but in his spiritual strength and inner wisdom, which remained unshaken.

Answer: Emphasis on discipline and rote memorization

Montaigne was a sharp critic of the education system of his time, which prioritized rote memorization over a more holistic and individualized approach to cultivating virtue and personal judgment. He proposed that students should be encouraged to question, analyze, and critically apply knowledge. Echoing the ideas of Plato, Montaigne believed that education should be tailored to each child's inherent qualities, character, and natural inclinations, rather than being based on the social status of their parents. Additionally, he advocated for the development of physical strength in children, following Plato's view that physical and intellectual development should go hand in hand for a balanced education.

Answer: True

In ancient Rome, banquets were grand celebrations that could involve excessive amounts of food, wine, and entertainment. They often involved brutal violence, death, and suffering. The most famous of these spectacles took place in the Colosseum, where gladiators fought to the death, often for the amusement of the audience. The combination of banquets with violent spectacles was intended to emphasize the totality of Roman life: the enjoyment of luxury and pleasure on the one hand, and the ever-present proximity of death on the other.

Montaigne's reference to these spectacles is meant to illustrate how humans are conditioned to see death as an omnipresent and inevitable part of life. Montaigne suggests that the blending of luxury and violent events may have made people more accepting of death, not as something to be feared, but as an unavoidable aspect of existence.

Answer: False

Quite the opposite, Montaigne criticizes the common tendency of society to associate sorrow with virtue, wisdom, and conscience, dismissing it as a "foolish and sordid guise." His perspective aligns with the Stoic ideal of emotional moderation, which values rational fortitude over yielding to turbulent emotions.

He acknowledges that grief can be overpowering and, at times, render a person incapable of action. In his view, grief must find some form of expression- lest it completely overwhelm the soul. However, he warns that unchecked sorrow can destabilize the mind, often leading to physical or emotional collapse. For Montaigne, moderation and prudence serve as antidotes to these destructive extremes, reinforcing his commitment to intellectual and emotional resilience.

In "Of Sorrow", he provides several examples of grief's effects on human beings. One such case is that of Psammenitus, the last king of ancient Egypt's twenty-sixth dynasty, who witnessed his daughter enslaved and his son executed yet remained composed. However, when he saw his loyal servant being led away in chains, he suddenly broke down, striking his chest in an emotional outburst. Montaigne interprets this as an instance of accumulated sorrow surpassing human endurance-like a vessel overflowing once it reaches its limit.

Answer: Writing down his thoughts

Montaigne compares an idle mind to uncultivated land: if left unattended, the land becomes overgrown with weeds and wild plants instead of yielding useful crops. Likewise, an undisciplined and unfocused mind becomes overrun with unproductive or chaotic thoughts.

He compares his mind to an unrestrained horse that throws off its rider. This image emphasizes that without control or purpose, the mind does not simply drift-it gallops wildly, producing thoughts in an unpredictable and overwhelming manner.

As a result, Montaigne describes his thoughts as "chimaeras and fantastic monsters," meaning they are strange, dreamy, and absurd. To address this problem, he decides to write down his thoughts, hoping to "tame" them and, over time, make his mind "ashamed" of its uncontrolled wanderings.

Answer: Bordeaux

Like his father, Michel de Montaigne served as mayor of Bordeaux, holding office from 1581 to 1585. During this tumultuous period of religious conflict, Montaigne worked to navigate the tensions between the Catholic and Protestant factions, aiming to maintain the peace and stability of the city.