BF190 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Montesquieu, Civil Marriage, Human Nature
Document Summary
~ involved in farming and international wine trade. ~ considered one of the first generation of enlightenment thinkers. Separation of powers - justice as fairness. Public freedom attached to free pursuit of self-interest. ~ wrote - pre-french revolution, wealthy (by marriage), ~ lived under despotic king, powerful monarchy caused problems. ~ never directly says he supports democratic gov. ~ fear made us terrified of each other and we ran instead of fought. ~ fear for despotism, more dangerous, than monarchy. ~ critique of universalism, push for particularity for communities. ~ distinct human natures within diff. places, diff. communities. ~ machiavelli - exiled, wanted back into florence. ~ socrates - apology to judges of athens, put on trial for corrupting youth. ~ kant - responding to call to define enlightenment given the callers disapproval of the institution of civil marriage. Need specific people (him) to guide revolution.
