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The History of Mentorship

The History of Mentorship

From 8th century BC Ancient Greece to 18th century AD France.

Josh Cadorette
November 03, 2022

Howdy from Philadelphia, PA,

I flew back to Philly for the World Series.

Photos (+ a gif) of me and my dad at game 3 below.

But first, let's talk about the origin story of mentorship.

The name "mentor" comes from the Odyssey of Homer.

The Odyssey is one of the most important works of ancient Greek literature. It tells the tale of the hero Odysseus and his journey home from the Trojan War.

In wartime, Odysseus faces many challenges - including those on the home front.

Odysseus is unable to guide his son, Telemachus, into adulthood while he’s away. As a result, Odysseus turns to his trusted companion, Mentor.

Odysseus asks Mentor to look after Telemachus.

This was meant to be for a brief period of time - just until Odysseus returned - but Odysseus went to war and was unexpectedly gone for over a decade.

Depiction of Telemachus and Mentor.

From 8th century BC Greece to 18th century France.

Here’s where things get interesting.

The Odyssey doesn’t detail Mentor as a guide, servant, or nurturing figure.

In fact, there’s little mention of Mentor in The Odyssey.

Plus, it’s possible that Mentor was - well - a bad mentor. Why? Odysseus’ house fell into ruin while he was away at war.

So while The Odyssey provided us the name “mentor," it didn’t give us the modern meaning.

Where did today’s definition of mentor come from?

Enter a 17th century French author by the name of François Fénelon.

A portrait of François Fénelon (1615-1751).

A new work on top of The Odyssey emerges.

François Fénelon is the author of the 1699 novel Les Adventures de Télémaque.

Here's the gist: The Odyssey presents a number of gaps Telemachus’ life. Les Adventures de Télémaque sought to fill in those gaps.

In the novel, Fénelon uses Mentor as an active, fatherlike figure to Telemachus. Mentor advocates for peace and selflessness.

Plus, Mentor is depicted as a wise servant whose experience is a guiding light for Telemachus.

The novel caught fire. Les Adventures de Télémaque went on to become a best seller in the 18th century.

Society began to mold the word mentor as we know it today:

An experienced person guiding someone with less experience through service and wisdom.

So the work that defined today's concept of mentorship wasn’t the original work. It was a supplementary piece by a French novelist - 2600+ years later!

Les Adventures de Télémaque was read and admired by the likes of Montesquieu and Rousseau. It is thought to have influenced their beliefs about the role of government and service in society. Montesquieu and Rousseau's work would go on to influence the thinking of the founding fathers of the United States.

What I'm paying attention to:

What Moneyball-for-Everything has Done to American Culture by Derek Thompson - What we collectively lose when decisions are made strictly based off of analytics.
Don't Be a Donkey by Derek Sivers - in order to determine direction, you have to think long term. This is told through the analogy of a donkey incapable of deciding whether he should eat or drink, thus dying of hunger and thirst.
On Novelty + Cheap Dopamine, Sonder & Feedback Loops by Charlotte Grysolle - I must be listening to too many Andrew Huberman podcasts because I find myself thinking how decisions will affect my dopamine levels. Charlotte reminds me that I'm not alone in thinking critically about the double-edged nature of our neurochemicals.

Photos of The Week

Locations this past week: Los Angeles, CA -> Joshua Tree, CA -> Phoenix, AZ -flight> Philadelphia, PA

My dad and me at the World Series. Phils hit 5 homeruns and won 7-0 over Houtson. This is us just after Kyle Schwarber's shot to deep center. It was the most dominant performance of offensive firepower that I've ever seen.

Citizens Bank Park with the Philadelphia skyline in the background.

After getting rained out on Monday, Game 3 of the World Series was moved to Tuesday. It ended up being a beautiful night for baseball in Philadelphia.