M. Montaigne on education as a condition for preparing a person for a worthy way of life

The fundamental influence of the Renaissance on world culture is determined, first of all, by the elevation of man, the apology of his natural nature and the justification of his sovereignty. Humanistic individualism (Renaissance) and religious individualism (Reformation) as opponents of religious ideology were allies in defending human rights, which did not prevent their confrontation in the future. M. Montaigne did not entirely fit into the image of a Renaissance thinker, distinguished by his reserved skepticism regarding the capabilities of man, discarding the “stilts” that artificially exalt him. His attention was directed at studying the lives of people distinguished by greatness of soul, fortitude, the ability to maintain a “worthy way of life” or “spiritual aristocracy” in difficult life situations. This concept limits the circle of people not by social characteristics, but qualitatively - the ability to maintain personal sovereignty as a basic prerequisite, both in solitude and in the process of active work. Active life and solitary life are equally genuine and are connected to each other as cause and effect. A worthy way of life presupposes self-knowledge and self-diagnosis, reliance on common sense, upbringing and education. Self-knowledge allows a person to understand himself, to establish proportionality between his claims and possibilities. Common sense consists in the art of taking into account circumstances and bypassing obstacles. The synchronicity of education and upbringing is oriented not to the memorization of encyclopedic knowledge, but to mastering the science of reflection in order to form a versatile personality.