Spirit of the Laws.

Catalog description

Since its publication in 1748, The Spirit of the Laws has been interpreted as abolitionist, an American Founding essential, anti-Christian, elitist, laissez-faire, racist, and as sociology’s early modern forerunner, among others. In this course, we will read The Spirit of the Laws with attention to these (and other) interpretations. Our aim is to collectively determine—from a distinctly Christian perspective—the degree to which we might find the arguments encountered in Montesquieu’s text persuasive (or not) as they bear on both Christian faith/practice and on the world. Through dialogue and writing, students will develop their ability to compare and critically (though charitably) assess the disparate foundations and influences of Montesquieu’s work while also establishing their own scholarly, political, and legal voices. In so doing, students will work out a nuanced view of comparative, global, and European political and legal thought, both within and outside of the global church.