1700 Edition of Montaigne's Essays with coloured portrait frontis. Michel de Montaigne (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592). Philosopher and aristocrat of the French Renaissance. His "Essays" had a direct influence on scientists and philosophers and psychologists across hundreds of years,including Francis Bacon,Rene Descartes,Blaise Pascal,Jean-Jacques Rousseau,Albert Hirschman,William Hazlitt,Ralph Waldo Emerson,Friedrich Nietzsche,Stefan Zweig,Eric Hoffer and even Isaac Asimov. Montaigne's remark,"Que scay-je?" ("What do I know?") embodied the spirit of doubt at once in one's own perception and observation,- while at the same time regarding it as the only thing to depend on. He had very forward looking views on how a child's curiosity can be harnessed for education by experience rather than rote learning. The 'Essays' is still an insightful read even today |