Cicero: Michel de Montaigne and classical philosophy

When Michel de Montaigne referred to classical philosophy in his “Essays,” his goal was to illustrate a particular point or give credibility to a certain argument. Montaigne (1533-1592) was not interested in classical philosophy as such. His primary and constant interest was the theory of happiness. Classical authors gave Montaigne a helping hand in his own philosophical path. Montaigne’s essay “A Consideration Upon Cicero” provides a paramount example of how to employ classical philosophy for addressing today’s problems. Since Montaigne lived in the sixteenth century, he could not even comprehend many of Cicero’s concerns. The institutions of the Roman Republic were completely different from those in Montaigne’s France. The economic, military, and morality issues addressed by Cato refer to a very different environment. Yet, Montaigne managed to extract every drop of wisdom from Cicero’s writings. He passed review to Cicero’s ambitions and setbacks, and pointed out the contradictions between the public ideals defended by Cicero and his sordid, sleazy moves to increase his personal power. Montaigne’s interest in Cicero’s writings rests on Cicero’s avowed allegiance to stoicism. Although the memory has been lost, stoicism was the dominant philosophy in the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. The aristocracy and middle class overwhelmingly adhered to the doctrines of stoicism. Which ideas was Cicero defending in public? Stoicism calls for honesty, justice, and self-restraint. It condemns thoughtless ambitions, that is, those that appear attractive in the short term but are likely to cause headaches down the road. Montaigne had a deep respect for ancient stoicism and held Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Epictetus in high regard. Cicero didn’t come up with the doctrine of stoicism. He just took over ideas already present in the late Roman Republic. The great merit of this essay by Montaigne is to isolate the crucial details from Cicero’s biography and compare them with his avowed philosophy. To which extent did Cicero practise the virtues of honesty, justice, and self-restraint? Montaigne arrives at the sad conclusion that Cicero failed to meet his own standards. His political scheming does not fulfil the moral standards of stoicism. His dedication to the Roman Republic was little more than a disguise for his power-seeking intrigues. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/cicero-michel-de-montaigne-and-classical-philosophy/