Benjamin Constant and the Birth of French Liberalism

On political responsibility in post-revolutionary times: Kant and Constant's debate on lying

“…Constant's position is not easy to pinpoint because he does little to theorise it explicitly himself, though his early writings show broad consistency. Scholars have described his position as “moderate” (Craiutu, 2012: 200–215) 4 or “pragmatic” (Vincent, 2011: 78–79) to emphasise both his staunch commitment to principles and his “fluid” means to realise them. While the murderer case was fictive, Constant demonstrated his stance in real political cases during the years of the Directory (Craiutu, 2012: 213; Vincent, 2011).…”

“…Scholars have described his position as “moderate” (Craiutu, 2012: 200–215) 4 or “pragmatic” (Vincent, 2011: 78–79) to emphasise both his staunch commitment to principles and his “fluid” means to realise them. While the murderer case was fictive, Constant demonstrated his stance in real political cases during the years of the Directory (Craiutu, 2012: 213; Vincent, 2011). For instance, in a speech to the Cercle Constitutionnel on 16 September 1797, he maintained that, for the sake of saving the constitution, in the specific moment of the coup of 18 Fructidor, there was a need to use anti-constitutional means (Constant, 1797).…”