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Montesquieu's Spirit of the Laws (1748) is one of the outstanding works of modern social thought. Durkheim's Latin thesis (1892) is not only one of the outstanding interpretations of that work, but also a seminal statement of his own ideas on society and on sociological method. It was the companion thesis to The Division of Labour and a forerunner of The Rules of Sociological Method.
This is the first English translation directly from the original Latin text, and also includes the original text, along with full editorial notes, a related article by Durkheim on Hyppolite Taine and a commentary on Durkheim and Montesquieu by W. Watts Miller.
"... a splendid new edition." · Robert Alun Jones
"... almost perfect." · Marcel Fournier
Preface
Émile Durkheim: Montesquieu's contribution to the establishment of political science (Quid Secundatus Politicae Scientiae Instituendae Contulerit)
Introduction
Chapter 1. The necessary conditions of the establishment of political science
Chapter 2. The extent to which Montesquieu assigned political science its own subject matter
Chapter 3. Montesquieu's classification of states and societies
Chapter 4. The extent to which Montesquieu saw definite laws of the political world
Chapter 5. On the method Montesquieu followed
Conclusion
On the Work of Taine (Sur L'Oeuvre de Taine)
W. Watts Miller: Durkheim and Montesquieu
Notes
Bibliography