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Title: The Spirit of the Laws by Charles De Secondat Montesquieu, Anne M. Cohler ISBN: 0-521-36974-6 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 October, 1989 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (6 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Good book, but not really a philosophical treatise...
Comment: Montesquieu doesn't really put forward a unified philosophically based political system here, so don't read it expecting something like The Republic, Leviathan or the Two Treatises. Stylistically this is very like Machiavelli; that is, no (overt) overiding system, rather just a long series of pithy pieces of advice for people actually in (or intending to make their own) government. If you've read Machiavelli's Discourses, you'll know what to expect.
I recommend you read at least Locke's Two Treatises and Machiavelli's Discourses before this, and then you'll get the theorectical background behind many of Montesquieu's points. Like Locke he thinks of liberty and republics being fine things, but like Machiavelli he cautions that circumstances should always be taken into consideration, and there is no one form of government that is always the right one for every people at all times, even republics. Because of this most of the book is spend enumerating various circumstances that might come up and appropriate reactions. For example, an early section is spend discussing the effect of climate on the people of that area, and given this, what form of government suits them best.
What this means is that while his work may not stand at a level with The Republic or Leviathan in terms of philosophical merit, if you are looking for knowledge that will be useful in the real world, this book is probably superior to those.
I definitely recommend you check this book out. It's imposing length is split into much easier to digest mini-chapters, so it doesn't seem as long as it is, and the use of examples makes it more interesting than many of the other drier works of political philosophy you might come across.
Rating: 2
Summary: Not as good as the other reviewers think
Comment: The Spirit of Laws is a passionate and eloquent statement of liberalism. But it is only that: a statement. It is not a defence. Montesquieu rails against despotism and carefully spells out the separation of government powers. But, unlike Locke or Mill, he gives little argument for why liberalism should be accepted. And those few sketchy comments he does give (e.g. despotism is bad even for the despot) are unconvincing.
Rating: 5
Summary: a must read for the world's democracy advocates
Comment: an understanding of Montesquieu is critical for today's emerging democracies, in that he was one of the first to recognize the importance of securing the liberty of the governed with the aid of reason, such as by constitutional design and by the rule of law. The probelm is that there is a caveat to his theory: democracy may not be the best form of government for every country.
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Title: Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, T. Hobbs, C. B. MacPherson ISBN: 0140431950 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1982 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
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Title: Two Treatises of Government by John Locke, Laslett Peter ISBN: 0521357306 Publisher: Cambridge University Press Pub. Date: 01 November, 1988 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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Title: The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Maurice Cranston, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Maurice William Cranston ISBN: 0140442014 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1968 List Price(USD): $9.00 |
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Title: Persian Letters by Charles Louis de Secondat Montesquieu, C. J. Betts ISBN: 0140442812 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 June, 1977 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
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Title: Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith ISBN: 0879757051 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 1991 List Price(USD): $11.00 |
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