The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s "Spirit of the Laws"
The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu’s "Spirit of the Laws"
The Spirit of the Laws—Montesquieu’s huge, complex, and enormously influential work—is considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to embody its values. In his penetrating analysis, Thomas L. Pangle brilliantly argues that the inherently theological project of Enlightenment liberalism is made more clearly—and more consequentially— in Spirit than in any other work.
In a probing and careful reading, Pangle shows how Montesquieu believed that rationalism, through the influence of liberal institutions and the spread of commercial culture, would secularize human affairs. At the same time, Pangle uncovers Montesquieu’s views about the origins of humanity’s religious impulse and his confidence that political and economic security would make people less likely to sacrifice worldly well-being for otherworldly hopes. With the interest in the theological aspects of political theory and practice showing no signs of diminishing, this book is a timely and insightful contribution to one of the key achievements of Enlightenment thought.
208 pages | 6 x 9 | © 2010
Philosophy: Philosophy of Society
Political Science: Classic Political Thought, Political and Social Theory
Reviews
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter One: Montesquieu’s Point of Departure
Montesquieu’s New Beginning
The New Conception of the Laws and the State of Nature
Human Nature at Its Core
Natural Society as the State of War
Montesquieu’s New Political Science
Chapter Two: The Theological Significance of Despotism
The Nature and Principle of Despotism
The Strangeness of the Presentation of Despotism
Despotism and Revealed Monotheistic Law
The Hypothesized Origin of Biblical Religion
The Hypothesis Applied to Islam
The Hypothesis Elaborated as Regards Christianity
Chapter Three: The Theological Significance of Republics and Monarchies
Republican Religiosity
Monarchy and Its Religiosity
Why Christianity Is So Powerful in Monarchic Europe
Montesquieu’s Educational Strategy
Chapter Four: From Classical Civil Religion
Modern Liberal Religion
Republican Slavery
The Commercial Republic and Its Religiosity
Liberal Constitutionalism and Its Religiosity
The Application of the Standard Found in England
Chapter Five: Commerce and the Great Theological Experiment
Commerce as Engine of Religious Liberation
The Rational Redemption of Christianity
Commerce and Despotism
Montesquieu’s “Prophetic Vision”
Concluding Critical Reflections
Notes
Works Cited
Index