A Virtue for Courageous Minds

Montesquieu’s Paradoxical Spirit of Moderation: On the Making of Asian Despotism in De l’esprit des lois

“…On the substantive front, Aurelian Craiutu offers an insightful definition: "Montesquieu drew a seminal relationship between moderation, limited power, the separation of powers, and the rule of law, and he made the concept of political moderation the keystone of his liberal political philosophy." 11 Whether we consider the model of the three branches of American government Montesquieu later influenced, his push for constitutional monarchy in his native France, or his definition of "despotic" government as "one alone, without law and without rule, draw[ing] everything along by his will and his caprices," 12 it seems apparent that a defining trait of despotic societies is the absence of tempering checks on arbitrary power. 13 By contrast, moderate regimes eschew excessive, arbitrary, and un-tempered displays of force in favor of tempered ones.…”

“…11 Whether we consider the model of the three branches of American government Montesquieu later influenced, his push for constitutional monarchy in his native France, or his definition of "despotic" government as "one alone, without law and without rule, draw[ing] everything along by his will and his caprices," 12 it seems apparent that a defining trait of despotic societies is the absence of tempering checks on arbitrary power. 13 By contrast, moderate regimes eschew excessive, arbitrary, and un-tempered displays of force in favor of tempered ones. Substantive corollaries in commerce and climate include excessive quantities of a given item or descriptor (e.g., luxury, extreme temperatures) and Montesquieu notes that such excesses are distinguishing traits of at least some despotic regimes.…”

“…Third, justifying Montesquieu's selective analysis poses problems for scholars who argue that he does not reduce complicated political regimes to Manichean dichotomies of good and evil. 16 Yet, if one takes his analysis of "despotic" regimes seriously, Montesquieu appears quite Manichean. He finds little, if anything, redeemable in that with which he disagrees (i.e., Chinese-and Japaneseinspired absolutist politics) and sets out to undermine such laudatory accounts.…”

“…For this reason, I contend that understanding Montesquieu's argumentative strategies is of utmost importance. For Montesquieu, the artist and author, (im)moderation is not only relevant to political institutions; 26 it is also relevant to his broader argumentative posture across a range of works. 27 Since much has been written on Montesquieu's displacements onto Asia as broadly indicative of his discontentment with the rise of French absolutist politics in his day, 28 I take such conclusions as my point de départ and focus mostly on Montesquieu's arguments and sources.…”