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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.
In 'The Spirit of the Laws,' Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, embarks upon a monumental examination of the principles governing laws and their relation to the nature and needs of the people they serve. This collection stands out for its rigorous analysis and broad sweep, encapsulating a variety of legal systems, from the democratic republics of antiquity to the monarchies of Europe. Montesquieus comparative methodology and keen insight into the mechanics of power and governance render this work a cornerstone in the field of political theory, highlighting its enduring relevance and contribution to Enlightenment thought. Montesquieu himself brings a background rich in legal and philo...
My Thoughts provides a unique window into the mind of one of the undisputed pioneers of modern thought, the author of the 1748 classic, The Spirit of the Laws. From the publication in 1721 of his first masterpiece, Persian Letters, until his death in 1755, Montesquieu maintained notebooks in which he wrote and dictated ideas on a wide variety of topics. Some of the contents are early drafts of passages that Montesquieu eventually placed in his published works; others are outlines or early versions of projected works that were ultimately lost, unfinished, or abandoned. These notebooks provide important insights into his views on a broad range of topics, including morality, religion, history, ...
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.
Persian Letters is a satirical work by Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, recounting the experiences of two Persian noblemen, Usbek and Rica, who are traveling through France. In 1711 Usbek leaves his seraglio in Isfahan to undertake the long journey to France, accompanied by his young friend Rica. He leaves behind five wives (Zachi, Zéphis, Fatmé, Zélis, and Roxane) in the care of a number of black eunuchs, one of whom is the head or first eunuch. During the trip and their long stay in Paris (1712-1720), they comment, in letters exchanged with friends and mullahs, on numerous aspects of Western, Christian society, particularly French politics and mores, ending with a biting satir...
Rev. ed. of: The political theory of Montesquieu. 1977.
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.
This volume makes available in an English translation the most significant part of Montesquieu's political, social and legal theory. About two-thirds of the volume has been translated from the Spirit of the Laws, not redone in English since the eighteenth century. That version was notoriously inadequate: Montesquieu's key terms were not rendered consistently; often his meaning was distorted by giving the nearest English eighteenth-century legal or institutional equivalent. Finally, English usage has changed so much that the eighteenth-century translation makes Montesquieu seem both quaint and obscure. This volume also includes substantial selections from the Persian Letters and the Considerations on the Causes of the Romans; Greatness and Decline. Although adequate translations of these works exist, it seemed advisable to maintain intellectual and stylistic consistency by providing English versions on the same principles as the Spirit of the Laws.
The Personal and the Political presents three fables written by social commentator and political thinker Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brede et de Montesquieu: The Temple of Cnidus (on eros and justice), Lysimachus (on philosophy and imperial ambition), and Dialogue de Sylla et d'Eucrate (on the limits of political ambition). This work is author W.B. Allen's response to attempts that collapse Montesquieu's analysis of modern political philosophy into a general discussion of virtue and morality by raising anew the issues of true and false happiness and pleasures. Allen maintains that Montesquieu's fables demonstrate the continuing relevance of the issue of philosophical morality, and offer a reconciliation of the tension between philosophical morality and political morality. The Personal and the Political provides a translation of each fable (with parallel French text), a brief introduction and commentaries to develop the context in which each is written and the situations that they address. Each fable is suited to introduce Montesquieu's conceptions of ancient virtues and vices, and what they contribute to modern sensibilities.