Modern Liberty and Commercial Society: Montesquieu v. Rousseau
ABSTRACT
This colloquium explored the debate over commercial society and the nature of modern liberty as articulated by two of the most thoughtful proponents of each side, Montesquieu and Rousseau. This conference was not merely of historical interest, however, for the essence of these eighteenth-century positions runs throughout many contemporary debates about commerce and globalization.
READING LIST
Conference Readings
Montesquieu, Charles-Louis de Secondat. The Spirit of the Laws. Translated by Anne M. Cohler, Basia Carolyn Miller, and Harold Samuel Stone. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1989.
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Discourses and other early political writings. Edited by Victor Gourevitch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.
Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. The Social Contract and other Later Political Writings. Edited by Victor Gourevitch. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997.