Montaigne on Cruelty

Montaigne on cruelty
One of the dominating concerns of Montaigne throughout all his essays is the use of cruelty. He critiques cruelty in an effort to dismantle its power and make others re-evaluate its place in society. Before his critique of cruelty, people generally did not view it with such disgust. Cruelty seemed commonplace during unstable political times. Traditional views of virtue and vice cause mankind to act cruel to one another. He rejects these old views of virtue because religion uses them as a tool to maintain power over the people. Mankind’s natural lust for cruelty cause Montaigne to believe that human nature is inherently cruel. Because of his fear of pain, he strongly rejects the use of cruelty and condemns it. His main objection to authority stems from his concern that it is used to control people’s thoughts. Torture, which is used as a tool for cruelty, is pointless in Montaigne’s eyes. Finally, In order to protect oneself against cruelty, he advises t...