Boring Conversation Michel de Montaigne
There is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees. | Michel de Montaigne Continue reading Boring Conversation Michel de Montaigne
an online book by David Gurteen
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was a French philosopher and essayist who believed that conversation was the best way to explore ideas. In his writings, he emphasized the importance of engaging in lively and meaningful conversations as a way to better understand oneself and others. Montaigne believed that through conversation, people could challenge their own beliefs, learn from others, and come to a deeper appreciation of the complexity of human nature.
Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne ( mon-TAYN; French: [miʃɛl ekɛm də mɔ̃tɛɲ]; Middle French: [miˈʃɛl ejˈkɛm də mõnˈtaɲə]; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual anecdotes and autobiography with intellectual insight. Montaigne had a direct influence on numerous Western writers; his massive volume Essais contains some of the most influential essays ever written.
During his lifetime, Montaigne was admired more as a statesman than as an author. The tendency in his essays to digress into anecdotes and personal ruminations was seen as detrimental to proper style rather than as an innovation, and his declaration that "I am myself the matter of my book" was viewed by his contemporaries as self-indulgent. In time, however, Montaigne came to be recognized as embodying, perhaps better than any other author of his time, the spirit of freely entertaining doubt that began to emerge at that time. He is most famously known for his skeptical remark, "Que sçay-je ?" ("What do I know?", in Middle French; now rendered as "Que sais-je ?" in modern French).
Credit: Wikipedia - Michel_de_MontaigneThere is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees. | Michel de Montaigne Continue reading Boring Conversation Michel de Montaigne
In my opinion, the most fruitful and natural play of the mind is in conversation. I find it sweeter than any other action in life; and if I were forced to choose, I think I would rather lose my sight than my hearing and voice. | Michel de Montaigne Continue reading The Most Fruitful and Natural Play of the Mind Is in Conversation Michel de Montaigne
Gurteen Knowledge Blog March 31, 2022, 09:03. Michele Montaigne was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. I have long admired him and love quotations from his work, especially those relating to conversation. I just learned on Wikipedia that he died of quinsy at the age of 59 in 1592 at the Château de … Continue reading The Tragic Death of Michel De Montaigne The most fruitful and natural play of the mind is in conversation
I put forward formless and unresolved notions, as do those who publish doubtful questions to debate in the schools, not to establish the truth but to seek it. | Michel de Montaigne Continue reading Establishing the Truth Michel de Montaigne
Gurteen Knowledge Blog April 11, 2023, 12:15. This quote from Montaigne speaks to the value of questioning and exploring ideas without being tied to a predetermined conclusion. By putting forward “formless and unresolved notions,” he suggests that we should be open to the possibility that our ideas and beliefs may not be fully formed or resolved and … Continue reading Montaigne’s Quest for Truth Michel De Montaigne
Philosophy of Conversation The Origin of Language ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Words can reveal insights into the history and evolution of language. The word “conversation” has significantly changed its meaning and usage over time. … Continue reading Etymology of Conversation A history of the word “conversation”