Montesquieu’s Science of Politics

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's The Spirit of Laws is one of a handful of classic works of political philosophy deserving a fresh reading every generation. The product of immense erudition, Montesquieu's treatise has captured since its first printing (1748) the imagination of an impressive array of intellectuals including Rousseau, Voltaire, Beccaria, Madison, Hamilton, Jefferson, Herder, Siey_s, Condorcet, Robespierre, Bentham, Burke, Constant, Hegel, Tocqueville, Emile Durkheim, Raymond Aron, and Hannah Arendt. 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.

Chapter 1 Introduction: An Appreciation ofThe Spirit of Laws
Chapter 2 Montesquieu and Natural Law
Chapter 3 Forms of Government: Structure, Principle, Object, and Aim
Chapter 4 Democratic and Aristocratic Republics: Ancient and Modern
Chapter 5 Monarchy's Paradox: Honor in the Face of Sovereign Power
Chapter 6 Despotism in The Spirit of Laws
Chapter 7 Montesquieu and English Liberty
Chapter 8 Montesquieu and the Liberal Philosophy of Jurisprudence
Chapter 9 Montesquieu on Religion and on the Question of Tolerance
Chapter 10 Montequieu on Economics and Commerce
Chapter 11 Montesquieu and the History of Laws