Essaying Oneself: Montaigne and Philosophy as a Way of Life Open Access
Edelman, Christopher John (2010)
Published
Abstract
This dissertation seeks to give an account of
Montaigne's understanding of the nature of philosophy. Doing so
involves articulating the presuppositions, means, and ends of
Montaigne's philosophical practice as well as his understanding of
that practice in relation to politics and the good life. Chapter
One sets the stage for this account of philosophy by contrasting
Montaigne's practices with traditional conceptions of the nature of
philosophy and introducing the features of the Essais that
seem to require some explanation in order for Montaigne's work to
be intelligible as a philosophical project. Chapter Two argues that
Montaigne is not the Pyrrhonian skeptic that he is often taken to
be. While sympathetic to certain Pyrrhonian conclusions, he does
not universally suspend judgment. Rather, through self-examination
he discovers that he has some beliefs immune to skeptical attack.
Chapter Three argues that Montaigne's beliefs include a commitment
to the notion of an objective moral order, and that his skepticism
allows him to show how this belief is defensible against the
arguments of the relativist. Chapter Four interprets Montaigne's
habit of essaying himself as a form of contemplative askesis
undertaken for the sake of self-knowledge. This askesis
shapes one's intellectual character, and therefore constitutes
Montaigne's contribution to contemporary discussions concerning the
sense in which philosophy can be understood to involve a way of
life. In Chapters Five and Six Montaigne's philosophical project is
discussed in relation to politics and the pursuit of the good life.
Essaying oneself is revealed to be an apolitical activity that
neither underwrites nor begins from political principles. While it
may be a necessary condition for the happy life for those who share
Montaigne's passion for self-understanding, it is not a necessary
condition for living the good life, for just as essaying is
apolitical, it is also amoral.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
1. The Essais and the Tradition 15
2. Montaigne's Skepticism 38
3. Skepticism and Moral Judgment 73
4. Essaying as Contemplative Askesis 107
5. Philosophy, Politics, and the Self 136
6. Philosophy and the Good Life 168
Bibliography 201
About this Dissertation
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