The Structure and Intention of Montesquieu's Theory of the General Spirit of a Nation
Montesquieu's The Spirit of the Laws seeks to teach legislators to maintain the spirit of modera-tion through political particularism opposite to political universalism,and guide the human world towards freedom and prosperity.The reason why legislators need to maintain such a spirit lies in his proposition that the complex and diverse human society limits their action space.Therefore,legislators should seek a moder-ate government system that can adequately preserve human nature through comparative historical analysis.Additionally,they should also understand and appropriately reshape the general spirit of a nation that repre-sents the nature of society.Aligning with the principles of the moderate government system,the general spirit of a nation plays a crucial role in the successful institutional reforms.Montesquieu argued that physical fac-tors such as climate and soil significantly shaped the spirit of liberty in Europe and slavery in Asia.However,he did not succumb to geographic determinism,as he firmly believed that moral elements,which are within human control,have a greater impact on the general spirit of a nation.Therefore,legislators can reinforce or eliminate the impact of physical factors by modifying moral elements.In this sense,commerce is the most effective moral element and method to change customs and manners through non-coercive means,as it conforms with the natural passions of human nature.
Montesquieulegislatorthe spirit of moderationthe general spirit of a nationcommerce
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