Comparing Montaigne's Of Cannibals And Perpetual Peace
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The central theme I identified as the underlying factor of both articles is to step outside your own self and see things from a different perspective, simply put, think outside the box. Comparing two articles such as “Of Cannibals” by Montaigne and “Perpetual Peace” by Immanuel Kant can be a difficult task, both use a sort of language that must be sifted through very carefully to decipher the meaning. Kant and Montaigne are examples of outside thinkers. People that try to get you out of your own way of thinking, to open your mind to possibilities you may have never dreamed of. With this, they take you on a journey through your own psyche, to a place that makes you truly discover what you believe in. If you do not have an opinion before you…show more content… Considering this article was written in 1580, Montaigne’s words still have a viable lesson that pertains to the new world. Upon first reading and rereading this work, I did not fully understand Montaigne use of cannibals and how it is their culture that is nearer to perfect than his own. It is only upon supplementing my knowledge and tweaking my perspective that I truly understood the point. Look at a society of cannibals, they seem barbaric and gruesome. Their own ways seem distant and alien to our own. By comparing what we believe is civilized to what cannibals believe is civilized Montaigne opens up a door many do not choose to venture through. But if you do, you happen upon a new perspective that is refreshing but also frightening. “Stop thinking you are the pinnacle” it seems to scream “You are worse off than the people you call uncivilized”. By comparing his people to Cannibals he grabs at the thought process and holds it tight. Once I discovered this fact, the article took on a whole new…show more content… In the article he writes about a monk, a monk that wanted to change the world. When he realized he could not change the world he wanted to change his nation, when that wasn’t possible he focused on his town, when he couldn’t accomplish that then he focused on his family. When the monk grew older he realized that the only thing he could really change was himself and with that he could have subsequently changed his family, the town, the nation and the world. It is quoted in the article “change yourself and the world changes around you. Or better still; change your focus about life and life changes.” (How to Transform Your Life by Seeing Things from A Different Perspective). The link between this article and the writings of Kant and Montaigne are amazingly similar. Start by changing yourself and your viewpoint and if each person does this, then we have a chance to change the world. Don’t look at Cannibals as Barbarians, look at them as humans. Find ways to create Perpetual Peace in your setting. Embrace culture, respect differences, coexist, have an open mind and your life will be better because of