Original Text(~250 words)
OF ONE DEFECT IN OUR GOVERNMENT My late father, a man that had no other advantages than experience and his own natural parts, was nevertheless of a very clear judgment, formerly told me that he once had thoughts of endeavouring to introduce this practice; that there might be in every city a certain place assigned to which such as stood in need of anything might repair, and have their business entered by an officer appointed for that purpose. As for example: I want a chapman to buy my pearls; I want one that has pearls to sell; such a one wants company to go to Paris; such a one seeks a servant of such a quality; such a one a master; such a one such an artificer; some inquiring for one thing, some for another, every one according to what he wants. And doubtless, these mutual advertisements would be of no contemptible advantage to the public correspondence and intelligence: for there are evermore conditions that hunt after one another, and for want of knowing one another’s occasions leave men in very great necessity. I have heard, to the great shame of the age we live in, that in our very sight two most excellent men for learning died so poor that they had scarce bread to put in their mouths: Lilius Gregorius Giraldus in Italy and Sebastianus Castalio in Germany: and I believe there are a thousand men would have invited them into their families, with very advantageous conditions, or...
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Summary
Montaigne shares his father's brilliant but simple idea: every town should have a central bulletin board where people post what they need and what they offer. Need someone to buy your jewelry? Looking for travel companions to Paris? Seeking a job or employee? Post it there. His father recognized that most problems stem from people not knowing about each other's needs and resources. Montaigne reflects on how this simple system could have saved two brilliant scholars who died in poverty while wealthy patrons would have gladly supported them—if only they'd known about their situation. He also describes his father's household management system: keeping detailed daily records of visitors, travels, marriages, deaths, good and bad news, and staff changes. These journals became invaluable for settling disputes about dates and preserving family history. Montaigne admits he foolishly abandoned this practice, recognizing its wisdom too late. The essay reveals Montaigne's appreciation for practical solutions over complex theories. His father, despite lacking formal education, understood human nature: most problems aren't caused by malice or scarcity, but by poor communication and organization. The chapter demonstrates how simple systems—a community bulletin board, a family journal—can solve problems that seem insurmountable. It's a reminder that the best solutions are often the most obvious ones, and that wisdom comes from observing human needs, not from academic theories.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Chapman
A traveling merchant or trader who buys and sells goods. In Montaigne's time, these were essential middlemen who connected buyers and sellers across different towns and regions.
Modern Usage:
Today we'd call them dealers, brokers, or resellers - like the person who buys estate sale items to flip on eBay.
Artificer
A skilled craftsperson or artisan who makes things with their hands - blacksmiths, carpenters, tailors, jewelers. These were highly valued specialists in the 16th century economy.
Modern Usage:
Modern artificers include contractors, mechanics, tattoo artists, or anyone with specialized hands-on skills.
Public correspondence and intelligence
The flow of information and communication within a community. Montaigne's father understood that societies work better when people can easily share what they need and offer.
Modern Usage:
This is exactly what Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and neighborhood apps like Nextdoor provide today.
Advantageous conditions
A good deal or favorable terms for employment or partnership. In Montaigne's era, wealthy patrons often supported scholars and artists in exchange for their services or prestige.
Modern Usage:
Like getting a job with good benefits, or finding a mentor who opens doors for your career.
Memorial
A written record or journal kept to preserve important events and information. Montaigne's father kept detailed daily logs of household activities, visitors, and significant events.
Modern Usage:
Similar to keeping a detailed calendar, journal, or digital records - anything that helps you remember and prove what happened when.
Domestic economy
The management and organization of household affairs, including finances, staff, and daily operations. This required careful planning and record-keeping in large households.
Modern Usage:
Like managing a household budget, keeping track of family schedules, or running a small business efficiently.
Characters in This Chapter
Montaigne's father
Practical innovator
A man with natural wisdom who invented simple solutions to complex problems. He proposed a community bulletin board system and kept meticulous household records that proved invaluable over time.
Modern Equivalent:
The neighbor who always has practical life hacks and keeps everything organized
Lilius Gregorius Giraldus
Tragic example
A brilliant Italian scholar who died in poverty despite his learning and talent. His death illustrates how lack of communication prevents talented people from connecting with those who could help them.
Modern Equivalent:
The highly qualified person stuck in a dead-end job because they don't know how to network
Sebastianus Castalio
Tragic example
Another learned man who died poor in Germany, reinforcing Montaigne's point about wasted human potential. His story shows how societal disorganization leads to unnecessary suffering.
Modern Equivalent:
The skilled worker who can't find decent employment because they lack connections
Montaigne
Regretful narrator
Reflects on his father's wisdom with the hindsight of someone who ignored good advice. He admits he foolishly abandoned his father's record-keeping system and now sees its value.
Modern Equivalent:
The adult who realizes their parents were right about something they used to think was pointless
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when complex problems actually need simple information-sharing solutions rather than elaborate systems.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you hear 'we need a better system'—ask instead 'what simple information exchange would solve this?'
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"there are evermore conditions that hunt after one another, and for want of knowing one another's occasions leave men in very great necessity"
Context: Explaining why his father's bulletin board idea would work so well
This captures a fundamental truth about human society - most problems aren't caused by actual scarcity, but by people not knowing about each other's needs and resources. It's about information gaps, not material gaps.
In Today's Words:
People who need each other are always out there, but they can't find each other and end up struggling unnecessarily.
"I believe there are a thousand men would have invited them into their families, with very advantageous conditions"
Context: Lamenting how the two brilliant scholars died in poverty
This highlights the tragedy of missed connections - wealthy patrons existed who would have gladly supported these scholars, but the communication systems didn't exist to bring them together. It's about systemic failure, not individual fault.
In Today's Words:
Plenty of people would have hired them and treated them well, if only they'd known about each other.
"My late father, a man that had no other advantages than experience and his own natural parts, was nevertheless of a very clear judgment"
Context: Introducing his father's practical wisdom at the start of the essay
Montaigne emphasizes that his father lacked formal education but possessed something more valuable - practical intelligence gained through life experience. This sets up the theme that common sense often beats book learning.
In Today's Words:
My dad didn't have fancy credentials, but he was naturally smart and had great judgment from real-world experience.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Simple Solutions
We overlook effective simple solutions because they seem too obvious or unsophisticated, preferring complex approaches that feel more impressive but work less well.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Montaigne's formally uneducated father shows more practical wisdom than learned scholars, challenging assumptions about who possesses valuable knowledge
Development
Continues theme of questioning social hierarchies based on education or status
In Your Life:
You might dismiss good advice from someone without formal credentials while overvaluing complex solutions from 'experts.'
Identity
In This Chapter
Montaigne admits he foolishly abandoned his father's practical systems, showing how we sometimes reject wisdom to establish our own identity
Development
Builds on earlier explorations of how we define ourselves, sometimes at our own expense
In Your Life:
You might reject family traditions or workplace practices just to prove you're different, even when they actually work.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
The bulletin board idea recognizes that most relationship problems stem from poor communication, not fundamental incompatibility
Development
Expands understanding of how simple systems can improve human connections
In Your Life:
Many of your conflicts with family or coworkers might be solved by better information sharing rather than deep therapy.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Montaigne grows by recognizing the value of his father's simple wisdom, showing maturity means appreciating practical solutions
Development
Shows growth as learning to value effectiveness over sophistication
In Your Life:
Real maturity might mean choosing the boring solution that works over the exciting one that impresses people.
Modern Adaptation
The Bulletin Board Solution
Following Arthur's story...
Arthur watches his philosophy department struggle with the same problems semester after semester. Adjuncts can't find office space while tenured professors have unused rooms. Graduate students need research help while undergrads seek tutoring jobs. The writing center is overbooked while English majors need work-study positions. Everyone complains about isolation and lack of resources, but no one connects the dots. Arthur remembers his grandmother's neighborhood—how she kept a simple notebook by her phone with everyone's needs and offers. Mrs. Chen needed rides to appointments; Tommy next door needed lawn work. His grandmother just matched them up. Arthur suggests creating a simple department bulletin board—physical and digital—where people post what they need and what they can offer. His colleagues dismiss it as too simplistic. They prefer forming committees to study the 'communication deficit.' Meanwhile, another adjunct quits because she couldn't find childcare, and another graduate student drops out from financial stress—problems that could have been solved by connecting them with department families who needed reliable babysitting.
The Road
The road Montaigne's father walked in 1580, Arthur walks today. The pattern is identical: simple information exchange solves complex-seeming problems, but we reject obvious solutions because they seem beneath our sophistication.
The Map
Arthur learns that the best solutions often look too simple to work. When facing persistent problems, ask: 'What basic information exchange would solve this?' Don't abandon practical systems because they seem unsophisticated.
Amplification
Before reading this, Arthur might have accepted departmental dysfunction as inevitable academic politics. Now he can NAME the pattern (information gaps masquerading as complex problems), PREDICT where it leads (continued waste and frustration), and NAVIGATE it by implementing simple connection systems that actually work.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What simple solution did Montaigne's father propose for connecting people who need things with people who have things to offer?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did two brilliant scholars die in poverty while wealthy patrons existed who would have supported them? What was the real problem?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this same pattern today—problems that persist not because of bad intentions or lack of resources, but because people can't connect with each other?
application • medium - 4
Think about a recurring problem in your workplace, family, or community. What simple 'bulletin board' solution might actually fix it?
application • deep - 5
Why do we often reject simple solutions in favor of complicated ones? What does this reveal about how we think about problems?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Design Your Own Bulletin Board
Identify one persistent problem in your daily life—at work, home, or in your community. Now design the simplest possible 'bulletin board' solution that could help people connect around this issue. Don't worry about making it perfect or sophisticated. Focus on what information needs to flow between which people.
Consider:
- •What specific information do people need to share?
- •Who are the people who have resources versus those who need them?
- •What's the simplest way to connect these groups without creating more work?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you made something more complicated than it needed to be. What were you trying to prove, and what would the simple solution have looked like?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 35: Nature vs. Custom in Clothing
In the next chapter, you'll discover to distinguish between natural needs and cultural habits, and learn questioning 'normal' can reveal arbitrary social rules. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.