For such an influential work of philosophy, Michel de Montaigne’s Essays begins with one of the strangest prefaces you’ll ever find. He effectively says: Don’t read any further; I did this for me, so farewell. Ignoring that advice may be one of the rewarding things you ever do…

Montaigne is considered the father of modern skepticism. He pioneered the essay as a literary form and became one of history’s most influential thinkers through an innovative blend of poetry, history, and philosophy. But his driving force was simply asking: “What do I know?”

It may sound unbelievable now but nobody in the West had ever assembled a collection of thoughts on random subjects like fear, smells, friendship, and thumbs. Exploring the mundane alongside the profound is one reason why Montaigne’s Essays had such a unique perspective.

But before we get to the significance of that work, let’s take a closer look at what shaped Montaigne’s thinking, what inspired such powerful curiosity, and what made him an important part of the French Renaissance.

Born in 1533, Montaigne grew up in a wealthy family just outside of Bordeaux. His mother’s family emigrated from Spain and were forced to convert from Judaism to Catholicism. His father was a merchant of wine and fish who served as a French Catholic soldier in Italy.

Being what would be considered nouveau riche, Montaigne’s father wanted Michel to move up the social ladder and benefit from the kind of education he didn’t have himself. That inspired him to experiment with some interesting child development practices he learned of in Italy.

As an infant, Montaigne was sent to live with a peasant family nearby. The idea was to spend his first three years immersed in a simpler way of living, which would also familiarize him with the same class of people he’d be working with as a nobleman later in life.

Montaigne’s father insisted that everyone speaks to young Michel only in Latin – so that he could think like ancient philosophers – and that the child should be awoken by the sound of music every morning. Montaigne wouldn’t learn any French until the age of six.

His teenage years are something of a mystery, but it’s believed Montaigne studied law between leaving the prestigious Collège de Guyenne at 13 and beginning a legal career as a counselor in the local court system. This role would have a big impact on his philosophical outlook...

Montaigne had to prepare court documents to present both sides of a case in for a judge. This trained him to weigh up conflicting arguments and lay out the facts carefully. It seems like such a basic approach, yet it would lay the groundwork for a founding step in modern thought.