Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) has been recognized as one of the most significant philosophers of the 16th century. Born into a privileged family and raised during the period of the French Renaissance, he was educated in a private boarding school where all his lessons were taught in Latin. Because of his family’s great wealth, he was free to devote the first half of his life to jobs serving the public sector; including volunteering as a legal counselor, advisor to King Charles IX and mayor of the town of Bordeaux.
In 1571, at the age of 38, he retired from public life to his estate, where he isolated himself from all social and family affairs so that he could dedicate his time to reading, meditating, and writing. It was in his castle’s round library room – which contained more than 1,500 books – where Montaigne probed his mind and produced two highly influential books titled simply Essays; which he published in 1580. Montaigne wrote that “I am myself the matter of my book“, and his stated goal was to describe humans, and especially himself, with utter frankness.
Some of the key topics Montaigne explored in his various essays include:
Mankind’s dangerously inflated claims to knowledge and certainty
The assertion that there is no greater achievement than the ability to accept one’s limitations
The problem of trying to locate truth in commonly accepted ideas that are false or unexamined – especially since many things we held yesterday as articles of faith today we know as fables.
The importance of freeing ourselves from outside influences, customs and opinions
His belief that the best path to understanding truth is by a careful exploration of one’s own body-and-mind.
Montaigne believed that the self, even with all its imperfections, was the best possible place to begin the search for truth, even though our identities can’t be defined as a stable thing because it is always changing. The most obvious example to him was the struggle of living with the infirmities of a human body. “Our bodies smell, ache, sag, pulse, throb and age regardless of the best desires of our mind“. It is only in acceptance of these traits that we can remain faithful to the truth of one’s being.
Montaigne isolated himself while writing his Essays but maintained the importance of maintaining contact with the outside world of other people and events because one can learn much that is useful from others. He described human beings as having a front room, facing the exterior street, where they meet and interact with others, but also with a back room where they are able to retreat back into their interior private self to reflect upon the vagaries of human experience and consider how it impacts their intimate identity.
Montaigne was refreshingly different from other philosophers and academics of his day who believed that their advanced powers of reason were a divine gift that gave them mastery over the world and a happiness that was denied to lesser educated creatures. He mocked those philosophers who were proud of their big brains and his writings come across as wise and intelligent – but also as modest and eager to debunk the pretensions of learning.
He wrote of his fellow academics and philosophers: “On our highest thrones in the world we are seated, still, on our arses” and, “…in practice, thousands of little women in their villages have lived more gentle, more equable and more constant lives than us.
He mocked books that were difficult to read. He found Plato boring and just wanted to have fun with books. “I’m not prepared to bash my brains out for anything, not even for learning’s sake – however precious it may be. If one book tires me, I just take up another“.
[note: I must admit that this sentiment makes me feel somewhat better about my decision to hold off reading the notorious difficult novel Ulysses by Irish writer James Joyce].
Montaigne was honest about the limitations and usefulness of his own intellect and attacked his prestigious academic friends for studying difficult things that were not useful to our lives.
“Difficulty is a coin which the learned conjure with so as not to reveal the vanity of their studies. Intellectuals would prefer you to study other people’s books way before we study our own minds. If man were wise, he would gauge the true worth of anything by its usefulness and appropriateness to his life”
I can’t help but wonder if Montaigne’s admiration for the working class – and life’s simple things – stemmed from the decision his humanist father made to leave him for three years when he was a small boy in the sole care of a peasant family in their town, in order to “draw the boy close to the people, and to the life conditions of the people, who need our help“.
Whatever the reason for his modest and humble personality, Montaigne comes across as one of the world’s first examples of a tolerant mind; a breath of fresh air in the cloistered and snobbish corridors of 16th century academia. He became an inspiration and encouragement to all those who felt put-upon and patronized by the arrogance of self-proclaimed clever people.
Montaigne tells us that each one of us is richer than we think. We may all arrive at wise ideas if we cease to think of ourselves as unsuited to the task just because we haven’t been classically trained or happen to lead an ordinary life.
The inscription Montagne had placed on the crown of the book shelf in his library was “I do not understand; I pause; I examine“. He had the inscription placed there to remind him of the limitations of his own knowledge and to caution him about the dangers that can result when one hastily forms opinions without careful consideration of all the facts.
Too many people today, especially since the advent of social media – which allows anybody to pass themselves off as experts – form their beliefs by adopting commonly accepted ideas or by making broad generalizations. Outside influences and political talking points trigger knee-jerk reactions from those who fail to take the time to study all sides of a topic – or to consider what is the truth and what is morally just.
It would be refreshing if more of us today, before forming our opinions, would like Montaigne, acknowledge the limitations of our knowledge, admit that we don’t fully understand a topic and then take time to examine all aspects of the issues in question using qualified experts in the field as our guides.
The danger of operating a society with uninformed or half-informed subjects was identified as early as the 2nd century by the Roman writer Publilius Syrus who said that it is “Better to be ignorant of a matter than to half know it“.
Today there are so many competing sources of information, where anyone with a computer can offer their uninformed opinions. Few people check the credentials of writers or the authenticity of the facts, and foreign actors can easily spread misinformation along via unregulated social networks.
The next time we are asked to form an opinion or make a decision about subjects we do not fully understand, we would do well to follow the sage advice of Montaigne: Do not let somebody else speak for you and do not fall prey to the pressures of biased outside influences. Instead take a moment to pause, study all sides of the issue, consult qualified experts and sources, and endeavor to reach true understanding.
If you can summon the conviction and discipline to do this, then you will be able to take solace knowing that even though you can not govern external events, you at least govern yourself.
Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in 1705, the eighth of his parent’s ten children. Being one of the youngest in the household Ben had to learn important skills on how to get along with others – developing a quick wit that he used to help him defuse confrontations throughout his life.
Apprenticed by his father to his 21 year old brother for a term of 9 years when he was only 12, Ben learned the trade quickly, eventually surpassing the skills of his older brother. To escape from his indentured servitude contract Franklin ran away to Philadelphia when he was only 17 years old.
In Philadelphia Franklin was able to find steady work at a Printing shop. His work ethic earned the admiration of the Provincial Governor who encouraged him to start his own shop – even shipping him off to Britain with capital so he could purchase his own Printing equipment.
At the tender age of 20, Franklin sailed back to America using the 2 month sailing time as an opportunity to examine his life up until that point and formulating a plan of conduct to follow for the remainder of his life.
In his journal written during that voyage he chided himself for the irregularity of his past actions and vowed to prevent his life from becoming wasted on a confused variety of different scenes.
With that in mind he set about making certain resolutions to himself and putting in place a plan of action so that henceforth I may live in all respects like a rational creature. Franklin further identified in his journal, the thirteen virtues that he felt, when practiced, would reinforce those resolutions.
Benjamin Franklin’s Resolutions
It is necessary for me to be extremely frugal until such a time as I have paid off what I owe.
To endeavor to speak truth in every instance, to give nobody expectations that are not likely to be answered, but aim for sincerity in every word and action.
To apply myself industriously to whatever business I take in hand, and not divert my mind from my business by any foolish projects of growing suddenly rich; for industry and patience are the surest means of plenty.
I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the fault I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.
Benjamin Franklin’s Virtues
Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself, avoid trifling conversation
Order: Let all things have their place; let each part of your business have it’s time
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; waste nothing
Industry: Lose no time. Be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit, think innocently and justly
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the things that are your duty
Moderation: Avoid extremes, avoid resenting injuries as much as you think they deserve
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanness in body, clothes or habitation
Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable
Chastity: Rarely practice sexual indulgence except for health or offspring; never to dullness, weakness or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Franklin’s original list of virtues stopped at 12, but he added the 13th item after one of his Quaker friends mentioned to him that his neighbors thought he exhibited too much pride.
With those resolutions and virtues in hand, Franklin began a program to integrate them into his daily life. He devised a chart based on a thirteen week rotation where each week he focused on mastering one of the virtues. He kept a scorecard at the end of each day to keep track of his success at making the virtues a habit.
Franklin eventually abandoned the exercise when he discovered that virtues are not so simply acquired. Still, he was proud of his plan of personal conduct and for making it the basis for his life’s conduct. In later years he judged that the mere attempt had made him a better and happier man than he would have been otherwise.
While reading about Franklin’s uncommon life in the book The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by the historian H.W. Brands, I was astonished at the seriousness and resolution of mind exhibited by the 20 year old Ben Franklin.
Most 20 year old men and woman today are not busy formulating a plan of action for the conduct of their life or thinking about which virtues they ought to be practicing in order to achieve success in life.
I would guess that most 20 year old Americans today are more busy playing video games, binge watching television shows, obsessing over their social media presence or searching for ways to acquire the materialistic trappings of success without having to work too hard for them.
I know that at that age, I was thinking more about selfish pursuits like fraternity parties, girls and sports than I was thinking about the irregularity of my actions or my failure to live like a rational creature.
What is even more astonishing than Franklin’s display of maturity and seriousness of mind at such a young age is the incredible accomplishments he achieved throughout his life by following the principles behind those early resolutions and by being true to his virtues.
Courtesy of the Franklin Institute
One glance at the list of Benjamin Franklin’s accomplishments will make you wonder how it is possible for a single person to achieve so much, in so many different fields, in the short span of one human lifetime.
Benjamin Franklin’s Accomplishments
Established the leading Printer business in the Colony of Pennsylvania eventually expanding his business to a second shop in South Carolina. Being the most successful printer in the Colonies he was essentially the Google of his day – owning a monopoly on the thoughts and opinions that got disseminated every day.
Published the Philadelphia Gazette which became the most popular newspaper in the Province. He wrote most of the Opinion pieces using an alias and published the 1st political cartoon.
Advocated for paper currency and became the Colony’s approved currency printer – designing a pattern that could not be counterfeited.
Created Poor Richard’s Almanac – a popular yearly publication that charted the phases of the moon, weather, timing of the tides, farming information, calendar events, recipes, cures, and psychological advice. Franklin’s alter ego, Poor Richard, dispensed pearls of wisdom throughout the Almanac that quickly became staples of the American lexicon. Phrases like “Great talkers, Little doers“, “Hunger never saw bad bread“, “If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend“, “There are no gains without pains” and “If you make yourself a sheep, the wolves will eat you“.
Recruited a club of inquirers considered to have the best minds in the city and called them the “Junto”. The club met weekly to discuss moral, political, philosophical, literary and scientific matters. Franklin encouraged the club to focus on topics which would contribute most to the benefit of mankind and expanded on this concept when he became a founding member of the American Philosophical Society.
Founded the country’s first Public Library at age 27.
Following his philosophy that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure“, he formed a volunteer collection of active men who were committed to combating fires. This group became the Union Fire Company, the first volunteer firefighters in America. To spare homeowners from the financial ruin of a fire he proposed the idea of Fire Insurance policies.
Writing that “you can undertake nothing that will be more advantageous to your children, nor more acceptable to our country“, Franklin offered a plan to educate the children of Philadelphia free from the extraordinary expense and hazard of sending them away to private school. In effect, he became the first organizer of public schools as well as a primary founder of the University of Pennsylvania
Invented an improved wood stove that kept houses significantly warmer and less sooty while requiring less than a quarter of the firewood of existing fireplaces. The Franklin stove quickly spread throughout the world because Franklin declined to patent it, letting anyone borrow its design and improve on it. He reasoned that he had profited from other people’s inventions, why should not others benefit from his.
Appointed postmaster of Philadelphia by the British Crown Post in 1737, a post he held for 16 years. His effective measures led to the first profits for the colonial post office. In 1775, when the Second Continental Congress established the United States Post Office, Franklin was made the first Postmaster General due to his experience in the field.
He was at the forefront in the field of the early studies of electricity. He performed experiments and wrote papers that described how electricity behaved and he invented an electric battery and a primitive electric motor. His work was honored by the world engineering societies and he was given the title of Doctor.
Proved that lightning was associated with electricity. Franklin helped tame lightning by inventing the lightning rod which protected countless buildings from being struck and possibly destroyed by fire.
The first to theorize that chronic exposure to lead was toxic. He suggested replacing lead coils used in distilleries with copper coils instead.
Franklin suffered from poor eyesight as he aged which led him to invent bifocals, dual lens eyeglasses with the upper lens used for distance and the lower lens for reading.
He was an early and ardent advocate of the health benefits of vigorous exercise and one of the first to recognize that Colds are not caused from being exposed to cold temperatures but rather by being exposed to one another’s respiration.
Performed experiments underlying the principle of refrigeration. Noticing how evaporation of liquid can absorb heat, he theorized this was how trees cooled themselves and mitigated the effects of summer temperatures.
Conjectured that earth’s core was fluid in nature and that the mountains and land masses were floating upon this fluid.
Performed experiments during his many sailing trips, discovering that the Gulf stream was actually a river of warm water flowing over the colder body of the ocean.
Recommended the building of double-hulled ships to reduce the chance of vessels sinking when they were in an accident.
Presciently hit on a fundamental law of nature, the conservation of mass-energy, writing that we cannot destroy the energy confined in a piece of wood that is burned in a fire – we can only separate it from that which confines it and so set it at liberty.
Invented a Rolling Press that could copy a letter in under two minutes.
Invented swim fins, the musical instrument glass armonica, a flexible urinary catheter, his own version of the odometer, and the long arm – which he used to reach books in high shelves of his library.
Even though he kept two slaves, Franklin viewed the institution of slavery as incompatible with justice and humanity. He became one of the first distinguished men in the country calling for the abolition of slavery – writing that the introduction of slaves could only diminish a nation.
Franklin was an early British Loyalist and wanted America to avoid war with its Mother country, but he gradually came to believe in the cause of American Independence writing that “We are fighting for the dignity and happiness of human nature” .
He served prominent Ambassadorial posts in Britain and France, representing the face of America to the European Continent throughout his career.
During the American Revolution, Franklin played a pivotal role in convincing the French government to join the American cause and persuading them to provide crucial loans and naval assistance – which George Washington skillfully used to defeat the British.
Contributed to and signed all the founding documents of the United States; including the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris, and the Constitution.
At his death, he established the Franklin fund, a trust to benefit the two cities he loved, Boston and Philadelphia. The fund is still solvent today and continues to contribute to worthy causes.
Most people would consider their life successful if they had achieved just one of Benjamin Franklin’s long list of accomplishments. It is hard to think of any other American in the history of the country who has had comparable ambition and talent to pursue so many interests.
Benjamin Franklin was one who came as close as any to realizing the full potential of the human spirit, a one-of-a kind talent who had a significant and profound influence in the early development of his nation.
H.W Brand labels Franklin The First American because he believes that Franklin was the most important American who ever lived because more than any other person, he was responsible for defining the American way of life and he considers Franklin’s combined contributions to his country over the course of his lifetime greater than any other American citizen.
While reading about the life of Benjamin Franklin, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of his accomplishments had their roots in that original Plan of Conduct he devised at the tender age of 20. It seems like his prolific productivity and success would not have been possible unless he remained true to those early resolutions and virtues throughout his life.
It makes me wonder how much more productive I could have been with my life if I had diligently followed a similar plan of conduct. What good has remained undone in the world because, unlike Franklin, I have not spent my life in always being employed in something useful?
It is of some solace to me that many of Franklin’s most important contributions came in his old age. It gives me hope, as I am about to embark on my seventh decade of life, that it is still not too late for me to live more deliberately and strive with my remaining time to be someone who, as Franklin put it – either writes something worth reading ordoes something worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin died April 17, 1790; three months after his eighty-fourth birthday. It was estimated that half the population of Philadelphia turned out to mourn at his funeral. Messages of sympathy and respect poured in from dignitaries around the world honoring Franklin because he sought knowledge not just for his own sake but for all of humanity’s.
It seems fitting to close this blog with the epitaph that Benjamin Franklin drafted for his tombstone when he was only 22 years old. Wherever his Spirit happens to be, it is inspiring to believe that it is still living on somewhere in a new and more perfect edition.
The body of B. Franklin, Printer; Like the cover of an old book, It’s contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,Lies here, Food for worms. But the work shall not be wholly lost, For it will, as he believed, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and amended by the author.
Words to Live By... 
