Author: Charles de Secondat baron de Montesquieu
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521369749
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 814
Book Description
The Spirit of the Laws is, without question, one of the central texts in the history of eighteenth-century thought, yet there has been no complete, scholarly English-language edition since that of Thomas Nugent, published in 1750. This lucid translation renders Montesquieu's problematic text newly accessible to a fresh generation of students, helping them to understand quite why Montesquieu was such an important figure in the early enlightenment and why The Spirit of the Laws was, for example, such an influence upon those who framed the American constitution. Fully annotated, this edition focuses attention upon Montesquieu's use of sources and his text as a whole, rather than upon those opening passages towards which critical energies have traditionally been devoted, and a select bibliography and chronology are provided for those coming to Montesquieu's work for the first time.
Montesquieu: The Spirit of the Laws
Author: Charles de Secondat baron de Montesquieu
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521369749
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 814
Book Description
The Spirit of the Laws is, without question, one of the central texts in the history of eighteenth-century thought, yet there has been no complete, scholarly English-language edition since that of Thomas Nugent, published in 1750. This lucid translation renders Montesquieu's problematic text newly accessible to a fresh generation of students, helping them to understand quite why Montesquieu was such an important figure in the early enlightenment and why The Spirit of the Laws was, for example, such an influence upon those who framed the American constitution. Fully annotated, this edition focuses attention upon Montesquieu's use of sources and his text as a whole, rather than upon those opening passages towards which critical energies have traditionally been devoted, and a select bibliography and chronology are provided for those coming to Montesquieu's work for the first time.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521369749
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 814
Book Description
The Spirit of the Laws is, without question, one of the central texts in the history of eighteenth-century thought, yet there has been no complete, scholarly English-language edition since that of Thomas Nugent, published in 1750. This lucid translation renders Montesquieu's problematic text newly accessible to a fresh generation of students, helping them to understand quite why Montesquieu was such an important figure in the early enlightenment and why The Spirit of the Laws was, for example, such an influence upon those who framed the American constitution. Fully annotated, this edition focuses attention upon Montesquieu's use of sources and his text as a whole, rather than upon those opening passages towards which critical energies have traditionally been devoted, and a select bibliography and chronology are provided for those coming to Montesquieu's work for the first time.
Montesquieu's Comparative Politics and the Spirit of American Constitutionalism
Author: Anne M. Cohler
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700631445
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227
Book Description
“American republicans,” notes Forrest McDonald, “regarded selected doctrines of Montesquieu’s as being virtually on par with Holy Writ.” But exactly how the French jurist’s labyrinthian work, The Spirit of the Laws, with was published in 1748, influenced the eighteenth-century conception of the republic is not well understood by historians or theorists. Anne M. Cohler undertakes to show the importance of Montequieu’s teaching for modern legislation and for modern political prudence generally, with specific reference to his impact on the Federalist and Tocqueville. In so doing, she delineates Montequieu’s contribution to political philosophy and suggests new ways to think about the formation of the American Constitution. To analyze the comparative politics found in the Spirit of the Laws, Cohler focuses on four fundamental principles underlying Montesquieu’s view of government: spirit, moderation, liberty, and legislation. In this endeavor she is guided by the conviction that the philosopher hews to the spirit of the laws rather than to the laws themselves—that is, to internal rather than external principles. Montesquieu, in Cohler’s argument, addresses the problem posed by the tendency to see human beings in light o universal abstractions at the expense of particular relationships, distinctions, and forms. To counter this tendency, which can be fostered by religion, Montesquieu develops a theory of prudence designed to support the world of politics an dpolitical life, necessarily an intermediate world occupying a space between universal abstractions and individual particularities. Cohler suggest that the Federalists and Tocqueville were most influenced by this preoccupation with spirit and moderation. James Madison and other Federalists, for example, were not drawn to limited government as a principled notion but rather as a consequence of understanding the context within which a moderate government must act not to become despotic. Similarly, Tocqueville extols democracy as self-government as an antidote to the dangers of democracy as a rule; the character of the governed shapes the nature of the governors. These and other conclusions will prove valuable to intellectual historians, political theorists, and students of religion.
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700631445
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 227
Book Description
“American republicans,” notes Forrest McDonald, “regarded selected doctrines of Montesquieu’s as being virtually on par with Holy Writ.” But exactly how the French jurist’s labyrinthian work, The Spirit of the Laws, with was published in 1748, influenced the eighteenth-century conception of the republic is not well understood by historians or theorists. Anne M. Cohler undertakes to show the importance of Montequieu’s teaching for modern legislation and for modern political prudence generally, with specific reference to his impact on the Federalist and Tocqueville. In so doing, she delineates Montequieu’s contribution to political philosophy and suggests new ways to think about the formation of the American Constitution. To analyze the comparative politics found in the Spirit of the Laws, Cohler focuses on four fundamental principles underlying Montesquieu’s view of government: spirit, moderation, liberty, and legislation. In this endeavor she is guided by the conviction that the philosopher hews to the spirit of the laws rather than to the laws themselves—that is, to internal rather than external principles. Montesquieu, in Cohler’s argument, addresses the problem posed by the tendency to see human beings in light o universal abstractions at the expense of particular relationships, distinctions, and forms. To counter this tendency, which can be fostered by religion, Montesquieu develops a theory of prudence designed to support the world of politics an dpolitical life, necessarily an intermediate world occupying a space between universal abstractions and individual particularities. Cohler suggest that the Federalists and Tocqueville were most influenced by this preoccupation with spirit and moderation. James Madison and other Federalists, for example, were not drawn to limited government as a principled notion but rather as a consequence of understanding the context within which a moderate government must act not to become despotic. Similarly, Tocqueville extols democracy as self-government as an antidote to the dangers of democracy as a rule; the character of the governed shapes the nature of the governors. These and other conclusions will prove valuable to intellectual historians, political theorists, and students of religion.
The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu's "Spirit of the Laws"
Author: Thomas L. Pangle
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226645525
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The Spirit of the Laws—Montesquieu’s huge, complex, and enormously influential work—is considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to embody its values. In his penetrating analysis, Thomas L. Pangle brilliantly argues that the inherently theological project of Enlightenment liberalism is made more clearly—and more consequentially— in Spirit than in any other work. In a probing and careful reading, Pangle shows how Montesquieu believed that rationalism, through the influence of liberal institutions and the spread of commercial culture, would secularize human affairs. At the same time, Pangle uncovers Montesquieu’s views about the origins of humanity’s religious impulse and his confidence that political and economic security would make people less likely to sacrifice worldly well-being for otherworldly hopes. With the interest in the theological aspects of political theory and practice showing no signs of diminishing, this book is a timely and insightful contribution to one of the key achievements of Enlightenment thought.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226645525
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 205
Book Description
The Spirit of the Laws—Montesquieu’s huge, complex, and enormously influential work—is considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to embody its values. In his penetrating analysis, Thomas L. Pangle brilliantly argues that the inherently theological project of Enlightenment liberalism is made more clearly—and more consequentially— in Spirit than in any other work. In a probing and careful reading, Pangle shows how Montesquieu believed that rationalism, through the influence of liberal institutions and the spread of commercial culture, would secularize human affairs. At the same time, Pangle uncovers Montesquieu’s views about the origins of humanity’s religious impulse and his confidence that political and economic security would make people less likely to sacrifice worldly well-being for otherworldly hopes. With the interest in the theological aspects of political theory and practice showing no signs of diminishing, this book is a timely and insightful contribution to one of the key achievements of Enlightenment thought.
Montesquieu's Science of Politics
Author: Charles de Secondat baron de Montesquieu
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742511811
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 474
Book Description
In what constitutes the only English-language collection of essays ever dedicated to the analysis of Montesquieu's contributions to political science, the contributors review some of the most vexing controversies that have arisen in the interpretation of Montesquieu's thought. By paying careful attention to the historical, political, and philosophical contexts of Montesquieu's ideas, the contributors provide fresh readings of The Spirit of Laws, clarify the goals and ambitions of its author, and point out the pertinence of his thinking to the problems of our world today.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742511811
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 474
Book Description
In what constitutes the only English-language collection of essays ever dedicated to the analysis of Montesquieu's contributions to political science, the contributors review some of the most vexing controversies that have arisen in the interpretation of Montesquieu's thought. By paying careful attention to the historical, political, and philosophical contexts of Montesquieu's ideas, the contributors provide fresh readings of The Spirit of Laws, clarify the goals and ambitions of its author, and point out the pertinence of his thinking to the problems of our world today.
Montesquieu and the Despotic Ideas of Europe
Author: Vickie B. Sullivan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022648291X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
Montesquieu is famous as a tireless critic of despotism, which he associates overtly with Asia and the Middle East and not with the apparently more moderate Western models of governance found throughout Europe. However, Vickie B. Sullivan argues that a creaful reading of Montesquieu's enormously influential The Spirit of the Law reveals the surprising result that he recognizes that Europe itself is susceptible to despotic practices - and that the threat emanates not from the East but rather from certain despotic ideas that inform Western institutions and practices. Sullivan guides readers through Montesquieu's sometimes veiled yet sharply critical accounts of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as various Christian thinkers have brough forth despotic ideas in the form, for example, of brutal Machiavellianism, of Hobbes's justifications for the rule of one, of Plato's reasoning that denied slaves the right of natural defense, and of the Christian teachings that equated heresy with treason. Such ideas, Montesquieu shows, inform such revered European institutions as the French monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church. In this new reading of Montesquieu's masterwork, Sullivan corrects the misconception that it offers simple, objective observations, showing it to be instead a powerful critique of European politics that would become remarkably and regrettably prescient after Montesquieu's death, when despotism repeatedly emerged in Europe with virulent intensity. -- from dust jacket.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022648291X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
Book Description
Montesquieu is famous as a tireless critic of despotism, which he associates overtly with Asia and the Middle East and not with the apparently more moderate Western models of governance found throughout Europe. However, Vickie B. Sullivan argues that a creaful reading of Montesquieu's enormously influential The Spirit of the Law reveals the surprising result that he recognizes that Europe itself is susceptible to despotic practices - and that the threat emanates not from the East but rather from certain despotic ideas that inform Western institutions and practices. Sullivan guides readers through Montesquieu's sometimes veiled yet sharply critical accounts of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Aristotle, and Plato, as well as various Christian thinkers have brough forth despotic ideas in the form, for example, of brutal Machiavellianism, of Hobbes's justifications for the rule of one, of Plato's reasoning that denied slaves the right of natural defense, and of the Christian teachings that equated heresy with treason. Such ideas, Montesquieu shows, inform such revered European institutions as the French monarchy and the Roman Catholic Church. In this new reading of Montesquieu's masterwork, Sullivan corrects the misconception that it offers simple, objective observations, showing it to be instead a powerful critique of European politics that would become remarkably and regrettably prescient after Montesquieu's death, when despotism repeatedly emerged in Europe with virulent intensity. -- from dust jacket.
The Spirit of Laws
Author: Charles de Secondat baron de Montesquieu
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Jurisprudence
Languages : en
Pages : 492
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Jurisprudence
Languages : en
Pages : 492
Book Description
Persian Letters
Author: Charles de Secondat Montesquieu
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1442946172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
Persian Letters is a satirical novel in an epistolary form. Montesquieu narrates the experiences of two fictional Persians travelling through France. Through the characters, the barbarism of contemporary French life is analyzed from an outsider's perspective. He compares European and non-European societies, role of religion, systems of government, political authority, and the role of law.
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1442946172
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 450
Book Description
Persian Letters is a satirical novel in an epistolary form. Montesquieu narrates the experiences of two fictional Persians travelling through France. Through the characters, the barbarism of contemporary French life is analyzed from an outsider's perspective. He compares European and non-European societies, role of religion, systems of government, political authority, and the role of law.
The Spirit of Compromise
Author: Amy Gutmann
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400851246
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
Why compromise is essential for effective government and why it is missing in politics today To govern in a democracy, political leaders have to compromise. When they do not, the result is political paralysis—dramatically demonstrated by the gridlock in Congress in recent years. In The Spirit of Compromise, eminent political thinkers Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson show why compromise is so important, what stands in the way of achieving it, and how citizens can make defensible compromises more likely. They urge politicians to focus less on campaigning and more on governing. In a new preface, the authors reflect on the state of compromise in Congress since the book's initial publication. Calling for greater cooperation in contemporary politics, The Spirit of Compromise will interest everyone who cares about making government work better for the good of all.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 1400851246
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
Why compromise is essential for effective government and why it is missing in politics today To govern in a democracy, political leaders have to compromise. When they do not, the result is political paralysis—dramatically demonstrated by the gridlock in Congress in recent years. In The Spirit of Compromise, eminent political thinkers Amy Gutmann and Dennis Thompson show why compromise is so important, what stands in the way of achieving it, and how citizens can make defensible compromises more likely. They urge politicians to focus less on campaigning and more on governing. In a new preface, the authors reflect on the state of compromise in Congress since the book's initial publication. Calling for greater cooperation in contemporary politics, The Spirit of Compromise will interest everyone who cares about making government work better for the good of all.
The Spirit of Democracy
Author: Sofia Näsström
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192898868
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332
Book Description
This book develops a new theoretical framework for studying the corruption, disintegration, and renewal of democracy: what it is, how it begins, and where in society it plays out. Näsström argues that modern democracy is a sui generis political form animated and sustained by a spirit of emancipation.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192898868
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 332
Book Description
This book develops a new theoretical framework for studying the corruption, disintegration, and renewal of democracy: what it is, how it begins, and where in society it plays out. Näsström argues that modern democracy is a sui generis political form animated and sustained by a spirit of emancipation.
The Spirit of the Laws: Political Study
Author: Charles de Secondat
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 786
Book Description
In 'The Spirit of the Laws: Political Study,' readers are presented with a pivotal exploration of political theory through a diverse array of essays that delve into the nature, principles, and applications of laws across societies. This anthology embodies a rich tapestry of literary styles, from analytical prose to persuasive rhetoric, highlighting the versatility and depth of political thought. The emphasis on the separation of powers, alongside a keen analysis of the relationship between laws and factors like climate, religion, and economy, showcases the complexity and relevance of the works included. Through these essays, the collection paints a comprehensive picture of the legislative nuances that govern human interaction and societal development. Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, stands as a monumental figure in the Enlightenment period, bringing together a confluence of ideas that have shaped the discourse on governance and liberty. His contributions, resonating through the ages, capture the essence of enlightenment thinking, advocating for political freedom and the refinement of civil society. Montesquieus influence extends beyond his time, inspiring revolutions and informing constitutional designs worldwide. Aligning with various historical, cultural, and literary movements, this collection underscores the evolution of political philosophy. 'The Spirit of the Laws: Political Study' is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the foundations of modern political systems. It offers readers a unique intersection of historical significance and contemporary relevance, inviting them into an enlightened dialogue on governance and law. This anthology is not only a testament to Montesquieus legacy but also a gateway to understanding the intricate balance of power that shapes societies. Scholars, students, and enthusiasts of political science will find in these pages a profound educational tool and a source of endless insight.
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 786
Book Description
In 'The Spirit of the Laws: Political Study,' readers are presented with a pivotal exploration of political theory through a diverse array of essays that delve into the nature, principles, and applications of laws across societies. This anthology embodies a rich tapestry of literary styles, from analytical prose to persuasive rhetoric, highlighting the versatility and depth of political thought. The emphasis on the separation of powers, alongside a keen analysis of the relationship between laws and factors like climate, religion, and economy, showcases the complexity and relevance of the works included. Through these essays, the collection paints a comprehensive picture of the legislative nuances that govern human interaction and societal development. Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, stands as a monumental figure in the Enlightenment period, bringing together a confluence of ideas that have shaped the discourse on governance and liberty. His contributions, resonating through the ages, capture the essence of enlightenment thinking, advocating for political freedom and the refinement of civil society. Montesquieus influence extends beyond his time, inspiring revolutions and informing constitutional designs worldwide. Aligning with various historical, cultural, and literary movements, this collection underscores the evolution of political philosophy. 'The Spirit of the Laws: Political Study' is an indispensable resource for anyone interested in the foundations of modern political systems. It offers readers a unique intersection of historical significance and contemporary relevance, inviting them into an enlightened dialogue on governance and law. This anthology is not only a testament to Montesquieus legacy but also a gateway to understanding the intricate balance of power that shapes societies. Scholars, students, and enthusiasts of political science will find in these pages a profound educational tool and a source of endless insight.