Montesquieu and Destutt de Tracy on Law, Liberty, Consumption, and Trade

ABSTRACT

This conference examined Montesquieu's understanding of the nature of law in various regimes, and the relation of liberty and economic activity–both internally and in international trade–to law. Conferees also examined Destutt de Tracy's running commentary and criticism of Montesquieu.

READING LIST

Conference Readings

Destutt de Tracy, Antoine Louis Claude. A Commentary and Review of Montesquieu’s "Spirit of Laws". Translated by Thomas Jefferson. Philadelphia: William Duane, 1811.

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.