Michel de Montaigne, Essays - Not Judging Us Happy Until After Death - Sadler's Lectures

This lecture discusses key ideas from the Renaissance-era philosopher, critic, and essayist Michel De Montaigne's work Essays, specifically his essay On Not Judging Us Happy Until After Death (Qu'Il ne Faut Juger de Nostre Heur, Qu'apres la Mort), in which he begins by considering the famous advice given by the Athenian wise man Solon to Croesus, king of Lydia until he was deposed by Cyrus of Persia, namely not to judge any person happy until after their death. Montaigne notes that many people do experience shifts in their condition due to fortune, and provides examples from history and his own era. Then he notes that because Solon was a philosopher, he likely did not mean the advice to focus solely on external goods that are really indifferents, and in the control of Fortune, since the happiness of a person really has to do with the condition of their soul. We can determine whether someone really is committed to their philosophy or not by what is revealed in their last day as they die. Some people redeem themselves by their way of dying, while others betray themselves. To support my ongoing work, go to my Patreon site - www.patreon.com/sadler If you'd like to make a direct contribution, you can do so here - www.paypal.me/ReasonIO - or at BuyMeACoffee - www.buymeacoffee.com/A4quYdWoM You can find over 3,000 philosophy videos in my main YouTube channel - www.youtube.com/user/gbisadler You can find Montaigne's Essays here - https://amzn.to/4l3iKfH