Michel de Montaigne and the concept of virtue

Ethical aspects are often underrated by individuals seeking personal growth. Psychology discussions tend to focus on pre-conceptions, personal history, and logical errors rather than on virtue. As a result, happiness is randomly defined, haphazardly pursued, and serendipitously achieved. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) held a different view. At an early age, he had discovered the strong connection existing between virtue and happiness, and when he started to write his essays, he gave priority to ethical considerations. Virtue doesn’t require unnatural or suicidal behaviour, noted Montaigne. Once shouldn’t equate virtue with daily perfection in times of peace, and reckless bravery in times of war. Montaigne viewed virtue as organic and natural, as the right behaviour that automatically emerges in society. When people interact or trade with each other, there are strong incentives to behave respectfully and honestly. If we keep our word, we will gain a reputation of reliability and customers will prefer purchasing goods from us rather than from strangers. If we display politeness and friendliness, people will normally behave towards us in a similar way. Montaigne had grasped perfectly that virtue rests on human intelligence, that is, on our ability to differentiate between bad and good habits, shun the former, and cultivate the latter. Unfortunately, Montaigne failed to give enough thought to the concept of virtue. He failed to carefully identify and define rational virtues. Instead, he blindly adopted Aristotle’s concept of the “golden mean” and Seneca’s call for “moderation.” I must however praise Montaigne’s scepticism towards the abstract ethical definitions given by Aristotle (384-322 BC) in the “Nicomachean Ethics.” When confronted with difficult ethical choices, Aristotle’s concept of the “golden mean” is worse than useless. When we are pressed to make quick decisions during a crisis, the call for moderation made by Seneca (4 BC-65 AD) can lead to disaster. Here is the link to the original article: https://johnvespasian.com/michel-de-montaigne-and-the-concept-of-virtue/