By walking his reader through his intellectual process Montaigne hoped his memory would live through his friends and family. I am hoping to do something similar with this blog for my friends and family while I live abroad. The essays that will follow represent a similar ambition to that of Montaigne, but with some additional trammels.
Montaigne had the benefit of being the first to write his particular brand of personal essay. I, however, will attempt to assert myself in world of data overload and intellectual noise. He wanted to survive through posterity, and I wish to survive today.
Wow. That last line sounded intense. I don't intend to be that dramatic.
I just mean to express my desire that, with all the demands on your attention, you take a moment to read my thoughts from time to time. You can also use this site to keep up with my Art History Videos using the "Videos" tab, and my horribly composed amateur photography.
I, like Montaigne, fear the temptation of vanity in this process. Writing is, by its nature, an egotistical practice. As much as I hate to admit this, by writing at all I believe my thoughts may have some use to others. I have met many men and women I consider more intelligent, more interesting, and whose thoughts deserve more attention than my own, and yet there exists the urge to assert my voice into the millions of web-pages created daily. Consequently, I, like Montaigne, would like to say a word of caution. Since no one can quite say it as well as the man himself: “I myself am the subject of this work: it is not reasonable that you should employ your leisure on a topic so frivolous and so vain.”