Montaigne's On Cannibalism And On Cruelty

“Que sais-je?” French for “What do I know?” is the beloved motto of French essayist Michel De Montaigne. Initial readings of Montaigne’s essays appear to be oriented toward self rather than incorporating any communal tones. Yet, close readings reveal this motto is directed collectively towards a Renaissance society. Montaigne, in his essays “On Cannibalism” and “On Cruelty,” is communally asking a European society “what do we know?” by displaying contradictory and arcane aspects of European culture, and presenting parallels of Western society with other “savage” non-European people. However, when reading Montaigne’s essays a question comes to mind: to what end does Montaigne hope to achieve by exposing such disagreeable aspects of European culture? Is he attempting to reform European practices of colonization and ideals of virtue through exposing an immoral nature?
Montaigne then parallels these thoughts in the essay “On Cannibalism” by juxtaposing violent European traditions with the “savage” cultural practices of non-European people, creating works that are aimed at criticizing a contradictory European view of life and society, rather than total societal reform.
Montaigne’s essay “On Cruelty” revels in satire, creating a work that questions the intricacies of European culture, specifically relating to the concept of “virtue.” Montaigne’s criticism is oriented towards questioning a Renaissance European view of virtue, the hardships and struggles it requires, and how to align an innate sense of morality with a virtuous, reason- oriented state of