about the quoted person:French Renaissance thinker who took himself as the great object of study in his Essays. by studying himself Montaigne tried to study mankind. He attempted to weigh or 'assay' his nature, habits, his own opinions and those of others, searching for truth by reflecting on his readings, his travels as well as his experiences both public and private.

Montaigne's writing style is light and untechnical. He was also a striking representative of Renaissance skepticism and fideism. Essentially fideism is a strategy which uses skepticism in order to clear the ground for the entrance of Catholicism.

Montaigne wanted to humble man's pride: "...there is a plague on Man, the opinion that he knows something." he is famous for arguing that man is not in any way superior to the beasts, in fact, quite the contrary.