Commonwealth Club of California Podcast Montaigne on Friendship
Dec 10, 2019
Dive into the profound reflections on friendship by Michel de Montaigne. Explore how friendships shape our identities and moral fabric. Discover the complexities of genuine friendship compared to other bonds, enriched by Montaigne's personal experiences. Delve into his thoughts on loss and the emotional turmoil that comes with it, as well as his advocacy for empathy and understanding in a diverse world. This philosophical journey connects the past with contemporary views on relationships.
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Essays That Grow Like An Amoeba
- Montaigne continually revised and expanded his essays, inserting marginal notes into the main text.
- This creates a living, layered book that records his changing thoughts over time.
A Stolen Text Became A Void
- La Boétie's theft and posthumous appropriation by Protestants left a hole at the center of Montaigne's project.
- Montaigne wrote his essays partly to mourn and preserve his dead friend's legacy.
Friendship Defined By What It Isn't
- Montaigne defines friendship negatively by showing what it is not: not parent-child, not erotic, not marital.
- True friendship, for him, stands outside social categories and depends on voluntary, equal communication.
