Chapter 14 Questions

This assignment will be given on Thursday, 1-9, and involves reading a chapter and answering some questions.

Even though you have not yet had the lecture on Montaigne, I'm going to ask you to do a close read of Chapter 14 from the Socrates Express book and answer the questions accordingly.

Here are your questions: Directions: For the very last time, choose JUST TWO of the following questions to answer to the best of your ability; write lots!

1. On page 271 Montaigne is quoted as saying “All the wisdom and reasoning in the world boils down finally to this point: to teach us not to be afraid to die.”  If that is true, in what ways do you think philosophy could accomplish this?

2. Weiner writes on page 175 “Humans excel at denying inconvenient truths… Montaigne thought avoidance comes at too high a price. When we avoid death, “every other pleasure is snuffed out.” We can’t live fully, he says, without facing death, our death, fully.” What would this look like for your life?

3. On page 282 Weiner writes, “Montaigne’s philosophy boiled down to this: Trust yourself. Trust your experiences. Trust your doubts, too. Let them guide you through life, and to the threshold of death.”  What do you think this quote means?