The Beauty of Montaigne's Essays + Channel Update

A brief channel update and the beauty of Michel de Montaigne's essays

Other Resources:
My new course on keeping a writer's diary:
Selected Writings:
My Essays:
My playlist on Reading:
My collaborative novel about Melbourne: There's A Tale To This City:

[artophile]

I've literally accepted you as my literature and philosophy teacher.

[mogourmetzulu]

22 year old or not I’m 26 & I’m learning so much from you. This is a great perspective what we lack is truly thinking critically independently w/out “The spectacle” possessing over everyone’s free thought.

[alanhill]

I'm 68 years old. This young man gives me hope for our future.

[anna]

Always love learning from you Robin! You might only be 22 but you’re teaching this boring 42 year old house wife some interesting thoughts and ideas!

[SevenUnwokenDreams]

I look forward to your new approach. I am 31 and had a rough life, did not have the benefit of a good education, and now that I have it mostly together, I have embarked on a journey to become a lifelong learner.
Your videos are very thought provoking and erudite. I like to watch them, and take some of those ideas and journal about them since I don't have anyone to discuss these ideas with. I think critical thinking is important, and I am also a big believer on not closing the door on one's conclusions.

[marianhreads]

Very well said - I couldn't agree more. So many people watch booktube (or in your case, philosophy tube) as if we content creators are experts or something, but the truth is we are all evolving and learning from day to day. That's what makes this platform special.

[emerzontorres]

Hi Robin! I'm a Filipino and I really learned a lot from your channel. I really appreciate your ideas on reading and writing. I am actually an engineer/scientist by profession but I do love literature and philosophy too. And you are like my Philosophy/Literature mentor. Thank you for your videos!

[heraddledbrain]

Thank goodness for you, Robin. We need more people approaching academics and life like this. Thank you for setting the tone!

[jasminegold]

I recently discovered your Mug of Insights! Please keep it up. Philosophy is vastly underrated, and too many philosophers are often forgotten. When I watch your videos, I think of my dad's words. "I like reading books because it is like the dead are speaking to you."

[anitaderouen]

Ah, imposter syndrome. Plague of academics worldwide! The key is accepting that the more you learn the more you understand how little you actually know.

[anitaderouen]

This 50-something PhD loves the journey you’re embarking on and am eager to follow and engage! The questions you’re raising about our need to demonstrate authority or expertise, particularly under the glare of the social media stage lights are VITAL questions that I seek to engage with my own students regularly. Going back to Montaigne’s essays feels just right for this cultural moment.

[ramyaaaa]

As someone who is extremely intrigued by social theories on the development of capitalism in Europe (16th-18th centuries), it is crucial for me to remind myself that, despite having read several scholarly articles about said topic, there is still so much I do not know. I come from a place where people do not share my interests so I'm pretty much solitary in my academic exercises and this makes it easy to go down a rabbit hole wherein one starts believing that one knows everything lol. It is also hard to find a mentor who can guide me well. I used to think I was the only person who felt the compulsion to ground myself and the introduction to this video essay validated so many of my personal thoughts and beliefs. Thank you for producing great video essays, Robin ! I hope you you keep doing this work :)

[deathofthesibyl]

I would love more reading reviews and literature discussions from this channel. It’s rare, as a young person, to hear other people your age discussing literature, philosophy, etc., from a modern perspective. I enjoy your unpretentious and even-handed style, so I’d love to hear your thoughts as you make your way through the mountains of books that I’m sure you have to read. I think this would make a unique platform for engagement and critique - in the dialogical way that you’re leaning toward.

[aryaim]

It's wonderful that you're even thinking about the fact that there are still many ways in which you yourself have to develop a perspective about things, and how the content we consume feels authoritative without us being aware of it sometimes :)
The best way to go is to have an open-exchange about all sorts of ideas, and your videos can be the contributing factor towards a deep-dive that we can have about the topics that pique our interest.
PS. Absolutely in favour of the idea of Thought Diary and being confused together btw❤❤

[N_Pakhomios]

I don’t follow you because you are necessarily right at every single thing you say, but it’s mainly because of how mature and articulate and charismatic you are, especially at your young age!

Dude, 90% of people older than you, even the “experienced” ones don’t have half the insight and intelligence you have! Plus you never claimed to know everything or said that your understanding of things is the only true one, so please keep doing what you do best!

Love from Egypt 💕 ⲟⲩϫⲁⲓ (peace) 💕

[graciemcc]

Many congratulations on the new direction you've decided upon for your channel, dear Robin, and I hope it has its intended effect. I'm 43, and one thing I've learned over the years is that most people's perspectives, in the absence of some kind of personal affinity, simply aren't that interesting. Which is why I typically tend to give ear to those who have qualified themselves in some significant way: not with the trappings of expertise, but with thoughtfulness, insight, a questing spirit, and self-evident love and regard for their subject. You have done this through your videos. My hope for you, and for all of us, is that those who engage with you will always be distinguished by those same excellent qualities.

[sophiaisabelle]

We appreciate how well you've articulated your own insights on this topic. We will keep supporting you and your channel no matter what.

[disutansu]

Hi Robin, been watching your videos for a while, and as a 30-something year old teacher to middle school students in the States, I find your content not only important but also incredibly refreshing. Most young people are constantly forced to prove what they know (do they know their multiplication tables, when did this war happen, how do they fix a dangling modifier, etc.). This is especially so on the verge of graduating high school and needing to decide on the college major that will dictate what they will do the rest of their lives, or so they believe. It's refreshing for them to see/hear older people whom they perceive as "know-it-alls" to be not confident or not actually know everything. That it's okay to not know what to do with your life, and it's okay to take the time to figure things out, not only school-related things but figure out themselves as a person.
I'd say on the Dunning Kruger effect graph (one that shows the relationship between confidence and experience/knowledge/competence), quite a few people are stuck on the left half. It definitely takes some time and effort to get out of that "Valley of Despair" but like you said, with the right encouragements and people, it can be done. I look forward to see what content you will produce from now on. Have a safe trip to Paris. ~Donna

[bekzodkhamutov]

You're such a wise young man. I really just want to thank you for your creation, your efforts, your dedication and passion. I learn so much from you. Thank you man !

[ericrobledo]

Bro, you're so mature. Good on ya!