"Des cannibales" et les différentes significations du concept de raison chez Montaigne

"Of Cannibals" and the different meanings of the concept of reason in Montaigne

Abstract

This article aims to bring to light the different meanings of the concept of
reason in Montaigne starting with the chapter « Of Cannibals ». By analyzing the
notion of reason, which turns out to be polysemic and problematic in Montaigne,
it shows that the anthropological and moral vision of the Essais is constructed
upon two facets: one is comprised of a certain cultural relativism ; the other of the
certainty of reason, of the recognition of a minimal ethics that goes beyond the
fluctuating universe of customs.

Keywords: Montaigne, reason, custom, cultural alterity, relativism/universalism