What does Michel de Montaigne’s Apology for Raimond Sebond argue about human knowledge?

In his Apology for Raimond Sebond (1576), Michel de Montaigne explores the human epistemological situation to argue that all claims to knowledge are inherently dubious. By employing skeptical arguments, he demonstrates the futility of human reason and rejects the notion that humans can attain absolute certainty through intellectual abstraction.12

Montaigne uses the defense of Sebond’s work as a pretext to challenge the "dangerously inflated" claims of human knowledge. He posits that human beings are creatures of weakness, inconstancy, and uncertainty, and he warns against the arrogance of relying on unexamined or externally imposed notions.324

Ultimately, Montaigne’s skepticism serves as a defense against false certainty. Rather than advocating for total nihilism, he suggests that because human knowledge is limited and fragmented, one should live according to nature and custom, accept what is revealed by faith, and focus on the concrete reality of one's own lived experience.31