Michel de Montaigne

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Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) was the French Renaissance thinker and sceptic responsible for the development of the essay as a literary form. His work Essais (Essays) (1572-80) attempted a study of mankind through the study of his own thoughts. He covered a wide range of topics in his essays which were written in an attempt to achieve self-knowledge.

Montaigne believed that people were in no way superior to animals and that pride in one's knowledge prevented knowledge of God. His work had influence beyond France, being quoted by Shakespeare and providing inspiration for other writers such as Bacon.

• http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/michelde.htm
• http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=530

Essays:

• http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=3600
• http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/montaigne.html