Montaigne and the Tolerance of Politics

249 Pages·2018·11.388 MB·English

by  Douglas I. Thompson

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Montaigne and the Tolerance of Politics

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Montaigne and the Tolerance of Politics
Douglas I. Thompson
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© Oxford University Press 2018
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Thompson, Douglas I., author.
Title: Montaigne and the tolerance of politics / Douglas I. Thompson.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017024851 (print) | LCCN 2017050701 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190679941 (Updf) | ISBN 9780190679958 (Epub) | ISBN 9780190679934 (hardback : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Montaigne, Michel de, 1533–1592—Political and social views. |
Montaigne, Michel de, 1533–1592. Essais. | Toleration—Political aspects. | Courtesy—Political aspects. |
Discussion—Political aspects. | Communication in politics. | BISAC: POLITICAL SCIENCE /
History & Theory. | PHILOSOPHY / Political. | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Comparative.
Classification: LCC PQ1645 (ebook) | LCC PQ1645 .T48 2018 (print) | DDC 844/.3—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017024851
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Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
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For Betsy

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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Prologue xiii
Introduction: Negotiating Tolerance 1
1. Montaigne’s Political Style 16
2. The Pleasure of Diversity 44
3. The Power of Uncivil Conversation 65
4. Exiting the Marketplace of Intolerance 91
5. Radical Moderation 119
Conclusion: Justice and Public Reason 155
Notes 169
Bibliography 207
Index 227
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Acknowledgments
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Writing a book involves a great deal of solitary labor, but books are always much
more than that. This particular book never would have happened without countless
conversations, suggestions, lessons, questions, criticisms, jokes, and encouragements
with and from multiple people I have been incredibly fortunate to know. I was first
introduced to French medieval and Renaissance literature by Sara Sturm- Maddox
and Donald Maddox, and to Montaigne by Daniel Martin, as an undergraduate
(and, later, an MA student) at the University of Massachusetts (UMass). Decades
later, I still remember the twinkle in Martin’s eye as he shared some of Montaigne’s
funnier bits, of which there are a great many, and I will never forget the encourage-
ment and support of Sara and Don. It was there, too, that Patricia Mills first intro-
duced me to political theory, via rigorous engagement with Hegel and Nietzsche.
I am eternally grateful to her for sending me down this path. I am also grateful for
the friendship and encouragement of (then) fellow UMass students Brad Mapes-
Martins and Lena Zuckerwise.
The germ of this book began years later, during my graduate studies at
Northwestern University, where I had the great pleasure of learning from a fabu-
lous group of people in a friendly and vibrant intellectual community. There, Sara
Monoson introduced me to the exciting detective work of research in the history
of political ideas, and Jim Farr deepened this connection. As a member of my dis-
sertation committee, Jim’s critical questions had an enormous impact on the future
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