Montesquieu

Montesquieu

Montesquieu was a man living in the.  He was a political thinker who would also comment and author. He is most well known for theorizing a separation of powers. But he is also influential in anthropology. He wrote very important and influential pieces, some include The Spirit of laws, and Persian Letters. 

        Montesquieu lived during the end of Louis XIV reign; one of the most power despot leaders of all time, there was another very powerful instrument then as well, which was the Roman Catholic Church. Politics and religion were joined and were the backbone of the ancien. Régime Montesquieu lived during the cusp of the ancien Régime

And the beginning of the unpredictable and surprising future. Although he was living during the age of great progress, he was a man who was greatly interested and influenced by the past. Montesquieu wanted to understand the causes of things, and pondered the questions like "why the Roman Empire collapsed? Why do some countries have despotism while others do not? Etc" 1   

        To answer these questions Monte delved into the past and present to better understand the cultures around him. He compiled his evidence for his political treatise called The Spirit of Laws. He wanted to understand the whole worlds history, cultures, customs, laws and usage of people past and present.  He studied and compared different societies, from All of Europe, to Sweden, vs. England, Vs. France, to Japan, China, and Islamic societies. Monte was very lucky to have lived then because new exciting books were published then with new fascinating details of the orient, examples being Kaempfers, History of Japan, and Du Holdes Empire of China.  One of the countless articles Monte brought up was how laws and govt, should be based off of, in this quote he states that the laws must be related to the geography of the land, the nature of the peoples lives, the inhabitants religion, their morals and manners, their commerce, etc. (full quote below 1) To also better compare and understand these vastly different cultures, Monte came up with methods to help better understand his research. These methods are still used today and are the basis for many social and historical sciences.

 One method he created was the comparative method.  Of course he used this when comparing the differing cultures and societies of the Orient, vs. Europe. It is easy to overlook the comparative method but as Monte said himself "Comparison, the single most valuable capacity of the human mind, is particularly useful when applied to human collectivities " 2 Human collectives also would include man himself, and this is the fundamental of anthropology! Anthropology is the study of all people at all times past and present.   Max Weber and Emile Durkheim were both influenced by Monte, and his comparative method.        Another method Monte developed was the ideal type analysis. This was a simplified model in which there were benchmarks to test reality with. These could also be used for geography, and other conditions. For example you could have three different types of govt. Republic, Monarchies, and Despotism.  

Other ideals were pushed in Spirit of the Laws, including the universal appeal of a constitutional govt. a separation of powers, and the preservation of civil liberties and the law. (Quote 2 & 3) Monte was enthralled and enchanted by England and its superior political system, and cherished balance and check to power (after all he had lived during Louis XIV's reign) He believed that The principle of democracy is corrupted not only when the spirit of equality is extinct, but likewise when they fall into a spirit of extreme equality, and when each citizen would fain be upon a level with those whom he has chosen to command him." 2

        Monte was enormously important, he helped inspire and be a model for the two greatest revolutionarily movements towards liberty of modern times. His ideas of a constitutional govt was the foundation for our country with the Constitution, it affected Catherine the Great of Russia. He helped influence and create a solid case for today's social and historical sciences. Weber, Kant, and Durkheim were all influenced.  But one of Montesquie's greatest disciples was Adam Smith the father of modern capitalism.

Work Cited

1 Macfarlane, Alan. The Riddle of the Modern World: Of Liberty, Wealth and Equality. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan, 2000. Print.

2 (1748) 1950-1961 De l’esprit des loix. Vols. 1-4. Edited by Jean Brethe de la Gressaye. Paris: Société Les Belles Lettres. -→ The best critical edition. Translations of extracts in the text were provided by Melvin Richter. An English translation was published by Hafner in 1962.

" International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. 1968. Encyclopedia.com. 26 Sep. 2012<http://www.encyclopedia.com>.