During the French Intellectual Enlightenment, there was an encyclopedic scholar, who was also a great thinker, and he was called the "Three Swordsmen of the French Enlightenment" together with Voltaire and Rousseau, and he was the great Montesquieu. Today, we will enjoy Montesquieu's ten aphorisms together, understand the philosophy behind the words, and understand the enlightenment of life.
When it comes to Montesquieu's family lineage, he can be said to have no worries about eating and wearing, he was born in an aristocratic family, and the solid economic conditions supported his thinking and creation. Fortunately, Montesquieu was not a idle boy, he did not waste time, after more than 20 years, he finally completed his great work at the age of 60, "On the Spirit of the Law". This work is surprising and surprising, and it is not completely outdated to this day.
He was a lifelong warrior, witty and full of wisdom, and at the same time very brave, attacking decay with sharp writing. He is also a lifelong scholar, tirelessly exploring practical problems in various fields such as natural science and social science, leaving many valuable documents and ideas for future generations. In his works, he comprehensively and systematically tells his philosophical views, and is also very prominent in economic, legal, historical and other views. He not only criticized feudal despotism and the evils of oppression and destruction, but also embodied his extremely rich ideas on human rights.
In Montesquieu's view, the right to life is the right of human beings to sustain and defend life, and even the most humble citizens must be respected. Therefore, people are equal to each other, there can be no difference in status, he opposes slavery, opposes all oppression and discrimination, and gives a fierce criticism of irrational human rationality and immorality.
It is worth affirming Montesquieu's view of the relationship between the right to life and science. He affirmed science and cutting-edge technology as key factors that can rapidly advance human and social development. However, the rapid development of advanced science has brought fatal disasters to mankind and society, and at this point he shows a hint of concern. Therefore, the relationship between Montesquieu's right to life and science and technology is delicate and can only be understood through dialectics.
Montesquieu also had his own opinion on the right to liberty. He believes that freedom is the most important right of man, the ultimate goal pursued by mankind, and the only criterion for mankind to defend happiness. In terms of thought and politics, Montesquieu also advocated freedom, because he was a scholar himself, objectively judging the situation from the perspective of a scholar, so he came to the conclusion that without freedom there is no guarantee of pursuing the truth. Of course, he has a definition of freedom, provided that human beings are law-abiding, not blindly free, and from this point of view, Montesquieu is very objective and very rational.
The right to property is also an important part of Montesquieu's thought, he believes that labor is the source of wealth, he encourages people to accumulate their own wealth through labor, and opposes all attempts to usurp the fruits of other people's labor, so Montesquieu believes that private property is sacred and inviolable. In terms of the relationship between personal interests and public interests, Montesquieu also gave the answer. In his view, the public interest should take care of the individual interest, and the individual interest should give way to the public interest. In addition, Montesquieu looked at the phenomenon of luxury with a sharp eye, believing that luxury was harmful, emphasizing the need to curb the phenomenon of inequality of wealth, achieve justice, and maintain the sacred status of property rights.
Montesquieu stood on the shoulders of the thinkers of his predecessors, persistently explored many practical problems in various fields, and in his valuable works, he gave reasonable solutions to reality. His ideas on human rights played a tremendous role in the bourgeois revolutions of Europe as a whole, and at the same time had an indelible impact on the United States and even on Russia.
According to records, Montesquieu died on February 10, 1755, at the age of 66, and today is his 267th anniversary, so let's enjoy his ten maxims, understand the profound philosophical meaning behind the words, and understand them.