A Comparative Study Of Montesquieu And Rousseau's Freedom Thoughts

The idea of freedom is the core of Montesquieu and Rousseau's political thoughts and is the supreme ideal value of both.If we say that as the common point of contemporary French political thinkers,it is not the pursuit of freedom.The two have different backgrounds in life experience,different starting points,different interpretations of freedom,and different designs for the system of guaranteeing freedom.However,they do not have the same objectives.These do not affect the pursuit and freedom of the two political thinkers for human values of freedom.In Montesquieu's view,freedom is freedom under the law and a relaxed state of mind that people consider themselves in a free environment.Montesquieu gave a clear definition of liberty and wrote books for this freedom,running and shouting.Montesquieu's most famous political theory of "separation of powers" is also his institutional design for realizing the political value of freedom.For Rousseau,freedom is his lifelong pursuit.Rousseau's freedom is more freedom of the civilian class.Although the logical starting point of his concept of freedom is the natural freedom of mankind,Rousseau's final effort is to achieve the freedom of the civilian class.Rousseau proposed the idea of social contract in order to achieve freedom.He tried to achieve human freedom through public agreement through the establishment of a contract.The economic base determines the superstructure,and the superstructure plays a significant role in promoting the development of the economic foundation.Montesquieu and Rousseau's discussion of free thought and the institutional design for the realization of this pursuit establish the political system of capitalism.The development of capitalism and the liberation and progress of all mankind are of great significance,and it is worth our repeated consideration and study.