Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Montesquieu's Science of Politics: Essays on the Spirit of Laws

Product Description 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, Sieyès, 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. Review For over two centuries Montesquieu has been viewed as an indecipherable genius--a great analyst of political facts who rarely gave away his own values. But in this lucid and intelligent set of essays, readers will find a different Montesquieu. Here the author of The Spirit of the Laws appears in all his colors as the most important expositor, in his time and ours, of a liberal science of politics.--Daniel Gordon, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Montesquieu's classic work is universally admired but less well understood. Over the years Montesquieu has been all things to all people: a constitutional monarchist, a liberal Anglophile, an enlightened cosmopolitan, a scientific sociologist. This collection will aid our understanding of the generosity and esprit of the author of The Spirit of the Laws.--Steven B Smith, Yale University This notable volume, explicitly and its quality, stands as an encomium to the monumental significance of Montesquieu's work. From the very outset in the editorial introduction by David Carrithers, the achievement of Montesquieu, the sovereign importance of discerning his decisive meaning, and his crucial emphasis on moderation in all things pertinent to human affairs is impressed on the reader with great cogency. This volume will educate the novice and will be valued by the learned.--Joseph Cropsey, University of Chicago About the Author David W. Carrithers is professor of government at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Michael A. Mosher is professor of political science at the University of Tulsa. Paul A. Rahe is professor of history at the University of Tulsa.