Seldom has a philosopher devoted so much effort to writing about human nature. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) spent two decades doing research about philosophy and psychology, gathering lessons about happiness. Montaigne’s objective was to identify the best patterns of behaviour, those that promote individual and social happiness. He read everything about Socrates (470-399 BC), as recorded by Plato (427-347 BC) in his dialogues, trying to draw advice applicable to his own life. Most sources consulted by Montaigne came from ancient Greece and Rome; he was fluent in Latin, and this enabled him to read Cicero (106-43 BC) and Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) in their mother tongue; for reading Greek authors, he resorted to Latin translations. Which lessons did Montaigne draw from his wide research on human nature? First, he noted that times of crisis bring forth the best and the worst of human nature. When people are under high pressure, they fall back to their default personality, for the positive and for the negative aspects. Second, he witnessed that modesty, persistence, tolerance, and prudence are more conducive to happiness than arrogance and prejudice. He viewed haughtiness and excessive ambition and sure recipes for self-destruction. Montaigne’s essay “On recompenses, rewards and honours” warns against external motivations. Beware of people driven by the desire to become famous. More often than not, they tend to be superficial and vain, ready to cut corners to attain their goal. I agree with Montaigne that we should define our goals carefully before devoting years or decades to pursuing them. Fame and popularity constitute fleeting rewards. Even in favourable conditions, they cannot deliver lasting satisfaction. Do you want to make your self-esteem depend on someone else’s opinion, asks Montaigne. I certainly don’t, but popularity and fame possess intense sweetness. When Montaigne wrote about “recompenses, rewards and honours,” he was mainly referring to public office and military distinctions. Why are those recompenses, rewards and honours difficult to resist? Because they bring enormous short-term advantages, for which the price will be due only much later. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaigne-and-human-nature/

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