Bibliography

Primary Works

Persian Letters (1721)
Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline (1734)
Arsace and Isménie (1742)
The Spirit of Laws (1750)
My Thoughts (1720–1755)
System of Ideas (1716)
Essay on Taste (1757)
Reflections on the Character of Certain Princes and Certain Events in Their Lives (1731-1733)

Montesquieu's Surviving Papers from the Academy of Bordeaux

Discourse on the cause of the echo (1718)
Discourse on the function of the renal glands (1718)
Discourse on the cause of the weight of bodies (1720)
Discourse on the cause of the transparency of bodies (1720)
Observations on natural history (1721)

Secondary Works

"The Spirit of Separate Powers" by Sharon Krause

“The Spirit of Separate Powers” written by Sharon Krause focuses on Montesquieu’s political theory of separation of powers as explained in his most well-known work “The Spirit of the Laws”. More specifically, this article focuses on Montesquieu’s opinions regarding the constitution of England in terms of the “spirit” the government must maintain to preserve separate, effective powers. This is a rare instance where Montesquieu finds liberty to be too extreme in this case, and fears that it could end up compromising the integrity of the establishment as a whole.

"Montesquieu's Popular Science" by Diana Schuab

“Montesquieu’s Popular Science” by Diana Schaub explores Montesquieu’s intriguing, yet often overlooked ideas regarding natural philosophy. Schaub presents her ideas surrounding natural philosophy as the infrastructure which supports his later and more recognized political philosophy. This article is mainly focused on Montesquieu’s belief that a society is only as advanced as their understanding of the arts and sciences—making scientific revolutions the fuel which powers an advanced society by enabling its progress while also protecting it from institutional oppression of any kind.

"Montesquieu's Philosophy of History" by David Carrithers

In “Montesquieu’s Philosophy of History” David Carrithers details Montesquieu’s historical thought, specifically as it relates to determinism and its effects on major events in European history. This approach attributes less power to “leading people” and their doctrines and more power in the “accidental element” or “general causes”. This article explores Montesquie’s historical thought through a number of his works, namely “Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of the Romans and Their Decline”, “De la politiques” (Politics) which exists in fragments in “Mes Pensées” (My thoughts) and “Réflexions sur le caractère de quelques princes et sur quelques événements de leur vie” (Reflections on the character of certain princes and certain events in their life). Carrithers analysis of these works is especially interesting as he sees Montesquieu’s idea of “espirit général” (general spirit) as a product of his aforementioned determinist perspective, which he deems essential to realizing the unpredictable nature of history.