Estienne de la Boétie

1530 - 1563

Titles on this disk:

• author: The Discourse of Voluntary Servitude

Quotation:

• (7 July, 2009) Étienne de la Boétie provides one of the earliest and clearest explanations of why the suffering majority obeys the minority who rule over them; it is an example of voluntary servitude (1576)

About this person:

Estienne de la Boétie (1530-1563) was a friend of Montaigne and made a name for himself with his poetry and translations of ancient Greek authors. He is perhaps better known today for his essay “Discourse of Voluntary Servitude” where he explores why the majority too often willingly capitulates to the demands of a tiny ruling minority.

• for an English translation of Boétie’s most famous essay, Discourse of Voluntary Servitude (1576) see the section Forgotten Gems in The Foum