You can reach achievement with an ordinary, moral life without the proper education of past philosophy! So says Michel de Montaigne in a short analysis video that succinctly explains his views on academia, the virtue of a good life, and the failure of the mind to control the body.

Concepts

philosophers, the renaissance, enlightenment philosophers

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Use as a comparison to Montaigne's The Essays
• Connect to a larger lesson on philosophers of the Renaissance

Classroom Considerations

• Subtitles are set to Bulgarian, but you can change them to another language or watch without them
• Best suited for college students or adult viewers

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Learners can probably relate to Montaigne's desire to move past pedantry in academics and textbooks
• Short length makes the video an effective introduction to Montaigne's philosophy

Cons

• Video contains several images and discussion points that are likely inappropriate for the classroom (the 0:51 mark contains a vulgar picture; at 2:05, the video addresses Montaigne's discussion of impotence alongside several phallic images)

Common Core

SL.11-12.2 RH.11-12.2