After devoting twenty years of his life to writing essays, Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) had developed great expectations for the future. He believed that his essays would appeal to a large public and influence future generations. History has proven Montaigne right but not in the manner he expected. His essays did find a large audience, but their philosophical influence has been negligible. His quotations do appeal to truth-seekers, but they have seldom changed anyone’s life. Montaigne’s curiosity and verbosity led to a vast output, but every page he wrote contains hesitations and inconsistencies. I admire his ability to pour out essays on every subject under the sun, but I am not blind to their inconclusiveness. When it comes to Montaigne’s cultural impact, in particular on French literature, I must point out the key insights conveyed by Montaigne’s essays. First, a general belief in God’s benevolence, and that it’s up to each person to discover it and lead a virtuous life. I must though state that Montaigne was not a religious fanatic and did not like fanatics of any kind. He repeatedly called for tolerance and respect of minority beliefs. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) proved a worthy intellectual heir to Montaigne in this respect. Pascal’s main work, his “Reflections” (in French, “Pensees”), resumes a discussion that Montaigne had barely initiated. I’m referring to the justification of religious faith in a world that is dominated by injustice. In the sixteenth century, war and religious prosecution were omnipresent in Europe. Montaigne had witnessed those with his own eyes, and knew of their dire consequences. In his “Reflections,” Pascal took over the thread initiated by Montaigne and came up with a probabilistic argument for faith. Pascal recommended people to remain faithful to Christianity just in case the Bible proved true and God would examine our souls on Judgement Day. Even if the Bible proved wrong, we would still benefit from leading a virtuous life. Even if there is no God, no Judgement Day, and no Heaven and Hell, we would still be happier if we adopt sound ethical principles. In addition to influencing Pascal’s ideas, Montaigne’s essays also influenced Pascal’s style. Both Pascal and Montaigne use their personal experience and observations as arguments, and both employ ancient quotations to support their conclusions. I must however point out that Montaigne quoted primarily ancient classical Greek and Roman authors such as Seneca (4 BC-AD 65), Plutarch (46-120 AD), Julius Caesar (100-44 BC), and Cicero (106-43 BC). In contrast, Pascal quoted the Bible on many occasions. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/montaignes-cultural-impact-especially-on-french-literature/

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