POSSESSION BEGETS A CONTEMPT OF WHAT IT HOLDS AND RULES
A direct put down to the right wing billionaires and a look at Montaigne.
My verse above, in a little easier form to read. And yes I’m scolding right wing billionaires in it.
POSSESSION BEGETS A CONTEMPT OF WHAT IT HOLDS AND RULES
People who are weak from the overpowering passion of avarice,
Oh there are so many of these one-percenters in our midst,
Society really can’t retain any stability with such wealth disparity,
So we have an insane Trump clearly telling us of his dictatorial ambitions,
Each of these foolish oligarchs is playing footsie with this lunatic,
So they are people removed from actual America; and they’re delusional,
So they think their business will improve; did Trump tell them this,
Indeed they think they can sideline him; they are mistaken most likely,
Oh yes they think they will be protected from this guy; what fools,
Now this gravy train of theirs has only spoiled and deluded these folks.
Because of Trump’s disorder, they are going to be in for a surprise,
Each oligarch will have to bend a knee; Lordy can’t they play this tape,
Get ready to move to Europe billionaires until the war spreads there,
Even if your investment in think tanks is substantial, you’re only fools,
Trump’s malignant narcissism will only get worse with dementia pals,
So I have a suggestion to pull your head out of your ass pretty soon.
And we’ll have certain folks falling out of buildings here too, quite soon.
Certainly you all have contempt with having to pay your taxes,
Oh yes your buddy Donald feels the same and has gamed the system,
Now let’s get into the real world for a bit; pay your damn taxes fools,
Trump, being excessively rotten, has promised you his rose garden,
Each one of his salivating cult followers is your ticket to your Nirvana,
Maybe you think you’ll be protected due to your wealth;
People you are relying upon an insane, lying man for your futures,
Trump will not give a shi* about your money or standing billionaires.
Only realize that this guy is a sociopath or psychopath, you’re not safe,
For if he gets back in, you will soon not recognize this country.
With your contempt for government and for paying of taxes,
How you’re playing with atomic fueled fire in Trump once again,
And it might seem that you’ve thought this through much better,
To get to your bizarre goals you’re really taking big chances folks.
It might seem that some of you are getting old and feel you must pull the
Trigger now to stay filthy rich into your own delusional eternity.
How I’ve lost family members fighting the German fascists back when,
Oh yes you all want to piss on the graves of thousands for your greed,
Likely the pearly gates won’t await for you folks; if you believe in such,
Democracy brought wealth to you, you idiots; why in the fuc*,
So the ones who have their heads screwed on straight must watch this all.
Authoritarianism is what you want; really folks, really, are you sure,
Now Trump is stupid, but there’s smart ones around him, you do realize,
Donald is incapable of ethics, and will be the same in a den of thieves.
Really you people are far from conservatism; being aligned with Trump,
Used to be some pride in this, certainly not anymore in the least,
Liberals you seem to only despise, you can’t communicate anymore,
Each one of you isolated on your yacht, whatever; there’s a real world,
Democracy lost, you don’t understand the future ramifications pal.
“Possession begets a contempt of what it holds and rules.”
— Michel De Montaigne
Michel Eyquem, Seigneur de Montaigne (28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), commonly known as Michel de Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a literary genre. His work is noted for its merging of casual antidotes and autobiography with intellectual insight. Montaigne had a direct influence on numerous Western writers; his massive volume Essais contains some of the most influential essays ever written.
Although not a scientist, Montaigne made observations on topics in psychology. In his essays, he developed and explained his observations of these themes. His thoughts and ideas covered subjects such as thought, motivation, fear, happiness, child education, experience, and human action. Montaigne's ideas have influenced psychology and are a part of its rich history.
“Never did two men make the same judgment of the same thing.”
— Montaigne
It might seem that in relation to all things Trump, there are a wide range of judgments afoot. It might seem odd as we’ve all been observing him for a long time. It might seem hard to not realize that he is, and has always been an erratic character who knows no norms. And it seems quite foolish to ever put a hair’s worth of trust into this man, as he has only proven time and time again that he’ll pull absolutely anything at any time.
“Passion has a more absolute command over us than reason.”
— Montaigne
Obviously having a lot of money brings a passion to continue to hold onto it at all costs. This passion for avarice is as human as anything out there. To justify this thinking by labeling others as “liberal” or “woke” in their altruistic actions as if that is a moral failing of some kind is hard to understand. To let this passion defy all reason seems to me to be a great defect threatening one’s very survival. It all seems quite clear to me, yet again I’ve never been burdened by excessive wealth to perhaps truly understand the psychology.
I found a whole slew of Montaigne quotes which spoke to me in this age. When I read these quotes from so many years ago I try to envision what was happening in the particular society of the time. Who exactly was Montaigne thinking about? What exactly was going on at the time? Was he mostly alone in his fears or was he speaking for many others? This whole paradigm seems to intrigue me so much. What can we incorporate into the conversations of March 2024 by what was thought and captured so many years ago.
Quotes and Images From The Works of Michel De Montaigne
Author: Michel de Montaigne
Editor: David Widger
THE ESSAYS OF MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
QUOTATIONS FROM THE FIVE VOLUMES
“Nature, who left us in such a state of imperfection.”
Individual humans all have their imperfections in which they struggle to overcome, learn to tamp down or adjust in their individual lives in some positive way. Someone like Trump encapsulates such a wide range of defects that he stands out particularly clearly. It seems that a certain degree of wealth protects one from making adjustments for character defects. This seems to me to be the primary narrative for Donald Trump. The most intriguing question is his supporters. Do they truly recognize him for what he is and accept this willingly, or are they not truly in tune with the man, being full of false delusions about him?
“No passion so contagious as that of fear.”
The level of time spent in fear in these times can’t be overemphasized. We are kidding ourselves if we discount this. The election and presidency of Barack Obama had a profound effect on millions, filling them with deep fear of our changing country. Trump stepped in as their answer at the time, outwardly brazen and appearing as self-confident, promising to turn back the social clock decades through only his belligerence. Today these people are still as afraid as before for the same reasons, while millions of us are fearful of Trump and the plain and honest threat he represents to our country and future. So fear is the primary driving force to the madness we witness day by day. I’m convinced that those on the right wing are incapable of realizing their fear, so one can’t expect any fright to leave them anytime soon. The rest of us must address our very rational fears through action.
“Nobody prognosticated that I should be wicked, but only useless.”
Looking at this quote I can only think that Trump is both wicked and mostly useless as well. His malignant narcissism prevents him from actually being a competent public servant. I can think of nothing more to say on this matter.
“Not believe from one, I should not believe from a hundred.”
This I found applicable to the average MAGA individual who stubbornly holds their admiration of Trump regardless of all evidence to the contrary. This is perhaps the most puzzling of phenomena at this point in time. Some folks who can’t get it, is what we have. No doubt Trump has groomed them skillfully to distrust everyone who might try to enlighten them to their misconceptions. Some may go to their grave carrying the same misconceptions. There seems like there is not much that can be done for these unfortunates.
“Not want, but rather abundance, that creates avarice.”
Trump grew up on third base claiming he hit a triple. The wealth class for the most part may all fall in this camp. And many of our major problems in our country can be traced back to this avarice of those who have always lived in abundance. And there seems no limit to this phenomenon, the greed most likely only increases with further abundance. For the average person it might seem that this self-enforcing emotion will not alter in any way, as no effort will be attempted to arrest it.
“Nothing is more confident than a bad poet.”
Now no one could ever claim Trump and most of the oligarchs ever were poets. But expanding upon the “poet” criteria, one can’t help but see the connection between “confidence” and being “bad” at governing. In Trump’s case we have seen a serial failure throughout his time. He has had a cunning in the manipulation of media through the years, and obviously in the courts as well which have kept him afloat. The man has the “confidence” part down well.
“Nothing is so firmly believed, as what we least know.”
Okay, in the broader context I’m uncertain of the average oligarch in what they might actually know, to conjecture that their firm beliefs are solid. They are out of the eyes of normal society enough to be a mystery in this regard. But in Trump, who we know much too well, this is definitely the case. His continued reciting of certain plumbing principles is indicative of a man who only has so much real, and applicable knowledge to share. He doesn’t read, may not be able to do so, and with an arrogance which would prevent him from seeking knowledge, he is a man who exudes the show of his mastery of knowledge. To be so ill-impaired for such a job as the presidency as he still is, is only frightening to us out here who witnessed his years of chaos.
“Number of fools so much exceeds the wise.”
I apologize, but this so much exemplifies the MAGA Republican of today in my mind. I really don’t think I must go into it any further.
“Old age: applaud the past and condemn the present.”
Herein accurately describes the Make America Great Again movement. Now this phenomenon has its share of younger people as well, but to the old couple watching Fox “News” each night this quote nails it. It is this constant looking back in time with disdain for one’s current life which can only result in assured negativity. There can be no problem solving thinking in this approach. It’s only lazy, and is a waste of time.
“One must first know what is his own and what is not.”
In this quote I envision the average Trump following Republicans who might only be scraping by in real life. Yet he might identify closely with this guy who wears makeup and flies in a private jet, and who has never hammered a nail in his life. Perhaps it is only wishful thinking in their self-identification of this man. And his legal problems are by extension their legal problems. And the hatred of so many for Trump is hatred against themselves. They can’t differentiate what is truly theirs and what is not. Why this might be is perhaps best explained as belonging to a cult of personality. This explanation doesn’t truly satisfy my analytical mind however. I will give it more thought.
“Pleasing all: a mark that can never be aimed at or hit.”
This quote comes more to my mind as applying to those on the left who constantly want solid satisfaction in their candidate to vote for. Biden is too old, and is not stopping the Israel slaughter of Palestinians. It’s an old bugaboo for those on the left who are not necessarily authoritarian following types. I suspect it will always remain that way. Biden most likely will still get the vote from many of these people who aren’t aware of the danger of another Trump presidency. But a certain percentage will mess up again.
“Rage compelled to excuse itself by a pretence of good-will.”
All this quote brings to me is the superficiality of people like Trump. The ability to manipulate large swaths of people by sharing his own particular rage with his followers who are triggered to respond in kind, yet will claim some type of nobility in the exchange.
“Remotest witness knows more about it than those who were nearest.”
This quote reminds me of the ineffectual manner of the Beltway press in dealing with all things connected with Trump. I truly think this quote describes this process intimately. It was this failure of the press which allowed Trump to eke out a victory in 2016. There was a lot of money being made as well for the news corporations prior to this election. But the disturbing words and actions of Trump were clearly visible at that time as well. Now, there just might be too many too close for the safety of the country.
“Revenge, which afterwards produces a series of new cruelties.”
Trump’s personality disorder enhanced by dementia is on full display in his rampant vindictiveness. One can see the cruelties in the form of rhetoric now only escalating. And if he didn’t have his cult following most likely his propensity for revenge would have no meaning. But unfortunately it does, and it appears it will only increase in the coming months.
“Rhetoric: an art to flatter and deceive.”
“I love the poorly educated,” he has said. “Blacks for Trump.” Trump as a malignant narcissist is only capable of flattery as a manipulative device to deceive the voter. A normal politician might be truly guilty of this periodically. But with Trump this will always be the case, as that’s the way he’s built.
“Same folly as to be sorry we were not alive a hundred years ago.”
The Make America Great Again slogan again, in its real use. The use of the Comstock Act by modern Republicans is another example of this. The Southern Strategy is yet another example which has been put to use negatively for decades. The continued example of such folly will no doubt continue to be put to use by the manipulators among us.
“Setting too great a value upon ourselves.”
Realistically the MAGA movement thrives upon the misconception that it is a great cause to fight for. Hence each MAGA is invested in the fight to return to a mythical time, quite nebulous in true details, but with the overarching idea quite pronounced. I suppose everyone in a free society is afforded the liberty to value such an ideal. However, these folks will not settle upon anything less but this vague idea. And reason can’t enter into the discussion with the authoritarian follower.
“Setting too little a value upon others.”
Okay this quote nails the selfishness of Trump and his MAGA movement to a tee. Trump openly calls people “vermin.” He calls his opposition every name in the book, mixing in a hodgepodge manner many competing descriptions into one slander. They certainly have their ideas on the values of all others differing from themselves. Their authoritarian outlook demands conformity in all followers. And only their particular tribe matters. Herein lies the primary struggle in our times. And as long as the red hats have their red hats, and Trump flags, etc., it will be a problem.
“Shake the truth of our Church by the vices of her ministers.”
This story is as old as the church itself. The animosity directed at the Christian Nationalists who follow Trump only clouds any benefit for which scripture and truthful preaching might impart. Trump combining our secular documents with the Christian Bible and selling it all for sixty dollars to raise money for his legal challenges encapsulates what might be the greatest downfall of Christianity of our lifetimes. Trump is a religious figure to millions. As absurd as this is on its face, it’s truly what is going on. If they somehow identify him as a “minister” of the gospel, their “truth” will be “shaken” sometime in the near future due to his anything-but-secret vices.
“Strong memory is commonly coupled with infirm* judgment.”
*(of a person or their judgment) weak; irresolute.
Once again we are back to the old familiar Make America Great Again theme. The memory of the days of old is not always particularly accurate. If you are of a certain age and test this among any siblings you might have you will quickly come to a conclusion that your memory is not necessarily accurate. This simple idea of the mythical better time is particularly compelling. This is why Trump used it to begin with. And it unfortunately has been quite successful in its unifying quality among many Americans. These folks unfortunately are not particularly deep thinkers, hence we arrive at this point.
“Stumble upon a truth amongst an infinite number of lies.”
Most of us honestly have not the patience to listen to Trump to actually find any truthful statements. No doubt it does happen at times, but for millions of Americans we tune him completely out. He lost any credibility very long ago. For his cult followers however, one must suppose that no lie is ever detected. And if by chance it happens it is quickly dismissed. The cognitive dissonance among his followers must be quite intense. Their faith in America and democratic rule is also a casualty in the exchange.
“The event often justifies a very foolish conduct.”
Trump rallies in a nutshell. Foolish conduct seems to be entertaining to thousands of us. Trump is getting more and more extreme in these times. One must wonder if a certain proportion of his followers will grow tired of not being entertained in his way, and may lose interest among the extremism they are now partaking in? This question has come to me quite often in recent times. We may find out this fall.
“The mean is best.”
Four simple words which resonate with Trump, in his admiration of other strongman leaders, as well as his ideas on policing. I suppose that many of his followers feel the same, as was exemplified by their actions on January 6, 2021. Why exactly this clicks so much in these folks I really don’t know. I’m thinking I’ve researched this more times than I can count, but whatever the reason I’m not able to come up with it right now. But this presents its true danger to America, in the past and heading into the election.
“The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.”
I suppose in the transactional world of Trump, this might not be particularly applicable. But then again Trump is no doubt prideful in becoming president in 2016. His narcissistic disorder was certainly nourished from this accomplishment. And now it seems his goal is to make this country into Hungary or better yet Russia. Perhaps this drives him somewhat as a kind of “ideal.” But he may be driven now primarily to stay out of incarceration. This quote is interesting to me in this conversation, and I feel I’m missing something with it.
“There are some upon whom their rich clothes weep.”
I had to do a little research, and according to what I found Trump wears primarily only Brioni suits. Seems they are primarily made for a much slimmer person than Trump, and have exaggerated shoulder padding. Off the rack I found one blue one online for $9,900. According to the research a taylored one might cost $20,000 as of 2015. So the man wears expensive suits most certainly according to what I found. The quote above might suggest that expensive clothes may not quite be satisfied by the one wearing them. This concept of metaphor of emotion in one’s attire is quite interesting. Donald Trump has always been one of wealth so his clothes certainly aren’t necessarily out of place for the pure luxury they might afford. But if ethics or human principles were a factor in the man attired, then the clothes would definitely weep.
“There is more trouble in keeping money than in getting it.”
Exhibit A in the above quote is Donald Trump. Most people have not lost as much money in their lifetimes as this man. His grifting in the political arena perhaps will never be outdone in our entire history. Donald has a hard time keeping money, but seems quite adept at making it through every possible means as well. This impulsiveness of the man seems to be a draw of many of his supporters. That is only an observation of my own. If it is true or not I could not argue one way or another.
“They have not the courage to suffer themselves to be corrected.”
I recall George W. Bush struggled once to list one mistake he had ever made in front of a crowd. Donald Trump has taken this propensity to the stratosphere. It seems that judges' orders and instructions when millions of dollars are on the line cannot correct this man’s behavior. One can’t expect a malignant narcissist to ever admit he made a mistake. And Donald Trump has and always will never admit any mistake to anything minor or major. I say this with certainty. If actual courage or lack of it is involved, I couldn’t say.
“Things grow familiar to men's minds by being often seen.”
Who among us wouldn’t like to be less familiar with Trump? There isn’t a day that goes by that he isn’t covered in one way or the other. Most Americans were exhausted by this guy many years ago. And we are guaranteed to have our steady diet of his escapades for some time yet. Assuming that he will indeed lose this November badly, which I think he will, he will still be on our newsfeeds undoubtedly for some time considering the legal actions against him. As far as the average MAGA Republican, we mostly have them pegged as a group as well. There is possibly some variation in individuals, but as authoritarian followers, the cookie cutter approach will likely not be too far off. Biden, on other hand, is still being discovered in his actual actions and words. Trump has always sucked all the oxygen out of our American room.
“Things seem greater by imagination than they are in effect.”
I try to reassure myself this most of the time when I hear Trump state he will definitely be a dictator and will punish his adversaries. One’s imagination in Trump’s threat after what happened on January 6, 2021 can’t really be discounted. There is the question of how many loose MAGA cannons are among us still. And if they might have reservations now about acting out in a similar manner. Only time will really tell, mostly they are a large group of loudmouthed bullies. But it only takes a few to cause great problems once again. I expect security will be different this time around. Or at least it better be.
“Those immodest [indecent, shameless] and debauched tricks and postures.”
The quote very nearly describes not only Trump but the entire MAGA Republican cabal. It appears that many who may be capable of serious law making are leaving their party to the remaining chaos agents. Debauched tricks. How about we consider the whole Joe Biden impeachment crusade as such. It would be hard to make an honest counter argument. And the in-your-face posturing of people like Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Green in the last years are epic. I’m afraid this quote fits so well that it could have been easily penned a year ago. This is a self-explanatory quote if ever there was one.
“Though nobody should read me, have I wasted time.”
Honestly this is a quote of myself in this effort. Have I wasted my time and the reader’s time? I’m assuming that nearly everyone doing this sort of thing has the same question. And as far as Trump goes, he is wasting many people’s time in what he might write on Truth Social and by his rhetoric. He continues to ramp up the extremism to perhaps stay relevant and to indoctrinate his “shock troops” to his advantage. So I will continue to write because of this.
“Thy own cowardice is the cause, if thou livest in pain.”
I am going to point out what seems fairly obvious in that bullies are cowards always. The MAGA folks are all in tune with Trump’s bullying tactics. They always have. And they’ve accepted his narrative of the victim as well. So the self-imposed pain witnessed among all these folks is really quite pathetic. They do not want to live among people unlike themselves primarily because of their own fears. Hence they, like in a fairytale, want to return to some mythical past where they think they will feel more comfortable. We need not bother with their concerns, and move forward with or without them tagging along.
“'Tis impossible to deal fairly with a fool.”
It might seem that our US Department of Justice may have been struggling with this for sometime now, with the hundreds of insurrectionists, a few of Trump’s acolytes still within government and some removed and in Trump himself. They have been bending over backwards through the whole process to try and be fair with a large number of fools. And mostly they’ve been too lenient in the eyes of most Americans. But this quote actually may state a truth not normally seen by most of us.
“'Tis not the number of men, but the number of good men.”
I must state that this quote speaks directly to the MAGA Republican Party of 2024. And one has to be generous and forgiving to find positive attributes in so many of these folks. And most of the serious ones are already gone or are leaving the chaotic government they have brought to us. It seems I have touched upon this already at some length. But this quote really fits nicely.
“To contemn [to view or treat with contempt:scorn] what we do not comprehend.”
This very common human trait is very present in the MAGA Republicans views on transgender people as well as others who defy their ability to comprehend. Hence they can become very mean and nasty with such people they can’t understand. Trump scorns many, many people viciously, some who he once may have said praises to when they were useful to him. So “contemn” seems to be a word not used much, but quite fitting in this discussion.
“Vices will cling together, if a man have not a care.”
In Donald Trump we have a dump truck full of vices for which he skates on every day in the right wing sphere. I will not attempt to list them, but the seven deadly sins have much deference in dealing with the man. His supporters, the cult followers, have not a care regarding anything Trump might say or do. That is in the past, present and future. It doesn’t matter. Trump is incapable of improvement in this arena, so everyone in the MAGA world is all content.
“We neither see far forward nor far backward.”
We certainly don’t see very far in the past, hence the poll numbers for Trump who was recently rated the worst president of all American history by a large group of historians. Looking forward for many is so hard in the world of politics due to the inability to remember the past. Trump scores higher on the economy than Biden currently for example. So this phenomenon is nearly crippling to the nation, as Republicans have always underperformed but still get high marks where none are due.
“What is more accidental than reputation?”
Donald Trump squeaked into the presidency in 2016 primarily because of a reality television show which fictionalized his character and attributes. This was quite accidental. Joe Biden as a long time politician may suffer because of this particular reputation. Trump’s negative reputation is quite stubborn to develop despite many, many negative things which have happened and continue to. Reputation seems a very subjective attribute in these times of so much information. It most likely will only get worse with time.
“Would have every one in his party blind or a blockhead.”
This seems to be one of Trump’s ruling principles in the people he chooses to associate with. This certainly describes his cult followers very succinctly. The blindness and stupidity seems to be rampant.
There were a number of other quotes of Montaigne which I captured for which I might address in the future. I was interested in learning some more about Montaigne without actually reading some of his essays. I might do that in the future as well. But I found an interesting discussion on Montaigne and Nietzsche online in Gutenberg.org for which I wished to end my discussion. I trust Charles Sarole’s take on these two philosophers to be accurate. I found it interesting enough to copy for you. Hopefully you will agree.
German Problems and Personalities
BY
CHARLES SAROLEA
[Charles Louis-Camille Saroléa FRSE DLitt (24 October 1870 in Tongeren – 11 March 1953 in Edinburgh) was a Belgian philologist and author.]
LONDON CHATTO & WINDUS 1917
MONTAIGNE AND NIETZSCHE.
I.
There is a continuity and heredity in the transmission of ideas as there is in the transmission of life. Each great thinker has a spiritual posterity, which for centuries perpetuates his doctrine and his moral personality. And there is no keener intellectual enjoyment than to trace back to their original progenitors one of those mighty and original systems which are the milestones in the history of human thought.
It is with such a spiritual transmission that I am concerned in the present paper. I would like to establish the intimate connection which exists between Montaigne and Nietzsche, between the greatest of French moralists and the greatest of Germans. A vast literature has grown up in recent years round the personality and works of Nietzsche, which would already fill a moderately sized library. It is therefore strange that no critic should have emphasized and explained the close filiation between him and Montaigne. It is all the more strange because Nietzsche himself has acknowledged his debt to the “Essays” with a frankness which leaves no room to doubt.
To anyone who knows how careful Nietzsche was to safeguard his originality, such an acknowledgment is in itself sufficient proof of the immense power which Montaigne wielded over Nietzsche at a decisive and critical period of his intellectual development. But only a systematic comparison could show that we have to do here with something more than a mental stimulus and a quickening of ideas, that Montaigne’s “Essays” have provided the foundations of Nietzsche’s philosophy, and that the Frenchman may rightly be called, and in a very definite sense, the “spiritual father” of the German.
II.
At first sight this statement must appear paradoxical, and a first reading of the two writers reveals their differences rather than their resemblances. The one strikes us as essentially the sane; the other, even in his first books, reveals that lack of mental balance which was to terminate in insanity. The one is a genial sceptic; the other is a fanatic dogmatist. To Montaigne life is a comedy; to his disciple life is a tragedy. The one philosophizes with a smile; the other, to use his own expression, philosophizes with a hammer. The one is a Conservative; the other is a herald of revolt. The one is constitutionally moderate and temperate; the other is nearly always extreme and violent in his judgment. The one is a practical man of the world; the other is a poet and a dreamer and a mystic. The one is quaintly pedantic, and his page is often a mosaic of quotations; the other is supremely original. The one is profuse in his professions of loyalty to the Roman Catholic Church; the other calls himself Anti-Christ.
III.
There can be no doubt that if the characteristics which we have just referred to belonged essentially to Montaigne, there would be little affinity between the thought of Nietzsche and that of Montaigne. And it would be impossible to account for the magnetic attraction which drew Nietzsche to the study of the “Essays,” and for the enthusiasm with which they inspired him. But I am convinced that those characteristics are not the essential characteristics. I am convinced that there is another Montaigne who has nothing in common with the Montaigne of convention and tradition. I am convinced that the scepticism, the Conservatism, the irony, the moderation, the affectation of humility, frivolity, pedantry, and innocent candour, are only a mask and disguise which Montaigne has put on to conceal his identity, that they are only so many tricks and dodges to lead the temporal and spiritual powers off the track, and to reassure them as to his orthodoxy. I am convinced that beneath and beyond the Montaigne of convention and tradition there is another much bigger and much deeper Montaigne, whose identity would have staggered his contemporaries, and would have landed him in prison. And it is this unconventional and real Montaigne who is the spiritual father of Nietzsche.
It is obviously impossible, within the limits of a brief paper, to prove this far-reaching statement and to establish the existence of an esoteric and profound meaning in the “Essays.” I shall only refer to a passage which is ignored by most commentators, which has been added in the posthumous edition, in which Montaigne himself admits such a double and esoteric meaning, and which seems to me to give the key to the interpretation of the “Essays”:
“I know very well that when I hear anyone dwell upon the language of my essays, I had rather a great deal he would say nothing: ’tis not so much to elevate the style as to depress the sense, and so much the more offensively as they do it obliquely; and yet I am much deceived if many other writers deliver more worth noting as to the matter, and, how well or ill soever, if any other writer has sown things much more material, or at all events more downright, upon his paper than myself. To bring the more in, I only muster up the heads; should I annex the sequel I should trebly multiply the volume. And how many stories have I scattered up and down in this book, that I only touch upon, which, should anyone more curiously search into, they would find matter enough to produce infinite essays. Neither those stories nor my quotations always serve simply for example, authority, or ornament; I do not only regard them for the use I make of them; they carry sometimes, besides what I apply them to, the seed of a more rich and a bolder matter, and sometimes, collaterally, a more delicate sound, both to myself, who will say no more about it in this place, and to others who shall be of my humour.”
The real and esoteric Montaigne is, like Nietzsche, a herald of revolt, one of the most revolutionary thinkers of all times. And the Gascon philosopher who philosophizes with a smile is far more dangerous than the Teuton who philosophizes with a hammer. The corrosive acid of his irony is more destructive than the violence of the other. Like Nietzsche, Montaigne transvalues all our moral values. Nothing is absolute; everything is relative. There is no law in morals.
“The laws of conscience, which we pretend to be derived from nature, proceed from custom; everyone having an inward veneration for the opinions and manners approved and received amongst his own people, cannot, without very great reluctance, depart from them, nor apply himself to them without applause.”
There is no absolute law in politics. And one form of government is as good as another.
“Such people as have been bred up to liberty, and subject to no other dominion but the authority of their own will, look upon all other forms of government as monstrous and contrary to nature. Those who are inured to monarchy do the same; and what opportunity soever fortune presents them with to change, even then, when with the greatest difficulties they have disengaged themselves from one master, that was troublesome and grievous to them, they presently run, with the same difficulties, to create another; being unable to take into hatred subjection itself.”
There is no law in religion. There is no justification in patriotism. The choice of religion is not a matter of conscience or of reason, but of custom and climate. We are Christians by the same title as we are Perigordins or Germans.
V.
If to destroy all human principles and illusions is to be a sceptic, Montaigne is the greatest sceptic that ever existed. But Montaigne’s scepticism is only a means to an end. On the ruin of all philosophies and religions Montaigne, like Nietzsche, has built up a dogmatism of his own. The foundation of that dogmatism in both is an unbounded faith in life and in nature. Like Nietzsche, Montaigne is an optimist. At the very outset of the “Essays” he proclaims the joy of life. He preaches the gaya scienza, the fröhliche Wissenschaft. All our sufferings are due to our departing from the teachings of Nature. The chapter on cannibalism, from which Shakespeare has borrowed a famous passage in “The Tempest,” and which has probably suggested the character of Caliban, must be taken in literal sense. The savage who lives in primitive simplicity comes nearer to Montaigne’s ideal of perfection than the philosopher and the saint.
VI.
And this brings us to the fundamental analogy between Nietzsche and Montaigne. Like the German, the Frenchman is a pure pagan. Here, again, we must not be misled by the innumerable professions of faith, generally added in later editions and not included in the edition of 1580. Montaigne is uncompromisingly hostile to Christianity. His Catholicism must be understood as the Catholicism of Auguste Comte,* defined by Huxley**—namely, Catholicism minus Christianity. He glorifies suicide. He abhors the self-suppression of asceticism; he derides chastity, humility, mortification—every virtue which we are accustomed to associate with the Christian faith. He glorifies self-assertion and the pride of life. Not once does he express even the most remote sympathy for the heroes of the Christian Church, for the saints and martyrs. On the other hand, again and again he indulges in lyrical raptures for the achievements of the great men of Greece and Rome. He is an intellectual aristocrat. His ideal policy is the policy of the Spartans—“almost miraculous in its perfection.” His ideal man is the pagan hero—the superman of antiquity—Alcibiades,*** Epaminondas,**** Alexander, Julius Cæsar.
*Isidore Auguste Marie François Xavier Comte (19 January 1798 – 30 September 1857) was a French philosopher, mathematician and writer who formulated the doctrine of positivism. He is often regarded as the first philosopher of science in the modern sense of the term. Comte's ideas were also fundamental to the development of sociology, with him inventing the very term and treating the discipline as the crowning achievement of the sciences. Comte's social theories culminated in his "Religion of Humanity", which presaged the development of non-theistic religious humanist and secular humanist organisations in the 19th century. He may also have coined the word altruisme (altruism).
** Thomas Henry Huxley PC FRS HonFRSE FLS (4 May 1825 – 29 June 1895) was an English biologist and anthropologist who specialized in comparative anatomy. He has become known as "Darwin's Bulldog" for his advocacy of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Huxley had little formal schooling and was virtually self-taught. He became perhaps the finest comparative anatomist of the later 19th century.[4] He worked on invertebrates, clarifying relationships between groups previously little understood. Later, he worked on vertebrates, especially on the relationship between apes and humans. After comparing Archaeopteryx with Compsognathus, he concluded that birds evolved from small carnivorous dinosaurs, a view now held by modern biologists.
*** Alcibiades (c. 450 – 404 BC) was an Athenian statesman and general. The last of the Alcmaeonidae, he played a major role in the second half of the Peloponnesian War as a strategic advisor, military commander, and politician, but subsequently fell from prominence. During the course of the Peloponnesian War, Alcibiades changed his political allegiance several times. In his native Athens in the early 410s BC, he advocated an aggressive foreign policy and was a prominent proponent of the Sicilian Expedition. After his political enemies brought charges of sacrilege against him, he fled to Sparta, where he served as a strategic adviser, proposing or supervising several major campaigns against Athens. However, Alcibiades made powerful enemies in Sparta too, and defected to Persia. There he served as an adviser to the satrap Tissaphernes until Athenian political allies brought about his recall. He served as an Athenian general (strategos) for several years, but enemies eventually succeeded in exiling him a second time.
**** Epaminondas (419/411–362 BC) was a Greek general and statesman of the 4th century BC who transformed the Ancient Greek city-state of Thebes, leading it out of Spartan subjugation into a pre-eminent position in Greek politics called the Theban Hegemony. In the process, he broke Spartan military power with his victory at Leuctra and liberated the Messenian helots, a group of Peloponnesian Greeks who had been enslaved under Spartan rule for some 230 years following their defeat in the Third Messenian War ending in 600 BC. Epaminondas reshaped the political map of Greece, fragmented old alliances, created new ones, and supervised the construction of entire cities. He was also militarily influential and invented and implemented several important battlefield tactics.
My little semi-sonnet to end on. Such as it is.
Of Foiling The Dictatorship Plot
I looked back upon Montaigne with focus,
He is but living in this time I do swear,
The sharp gaze of Trump is an insidious stare,
He is the goon on the screen who will choke us,
His followers only like to provoke us,
All must now pay heed, with no one unaware,
His proposed dictatorship will be his snare,
He needs an honest mental diagnosis.
Montaigne could tell us all a thing or two,
But there are way too many voices right now,
No one would listen and only disavow,
If Trump gets back in we are all simply screwed,
Regardless - today I did learn quite a lot,
About foiling his dictatorship plot.
That’s what I have for today. Hopefully it will fit. I never really know until I try to publish. But anyway, this should keep the reader busy for a spell.
186th Posting, March 31, 2024.