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Work #541 · Late

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu
1748 · French
Comparative political philosophy · French Enlightenment political theory

Montesquieu's 1748 foundational comparative political-legal theory — separation of powers and types of government

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois) (Late)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Infinite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Both
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Conserved
Information · Granularity Continuous

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

The historical-political time of legal systems.

Space

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

The geographic-political space of governments.

Matter

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

The embodied political community.

Observer

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

The comparative-political observer.

Energy

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

Energies of different political spirits.

Information

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

Foundational comparative political-legal framework.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

The Spirit of the Laws (De l'esprit des lois)

Montesquieu's separation-of-powers doctrine profoundly influenced American constitutional design.