Essays

Michel de Montaigne

Available in PDF, epub, and Kindle ebook, or read online. This book has 879 pages in the PDF version, and was originally published in 1580. This is a translation by Charles Cotton, and was published in 1877.
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Description

Michel de Montaigne, also known as Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. His Essays were originally published in 1580. The stated goal of the publication was to record and describe himself with total honesty, giving an insight into human nature. He did not really intend for the book to get much attention outside his inner circle, telling his readers that the subject matter was himself and that 'you would be unreasonable to suspend your leisure on so frivolous and vain a subject.' The range of subjects discussed in the Essays is wide and varied, from the major (religion) to the trivial (posting letters). The popularity of it ensured that it was one of the most prominent works in French philosophy until the Enlightenment.

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