Question

In The Spirit of Laws, how did Montesquieu differ from Hobbes and Locke in his beliefs about the state of nature? What did he mean by "the state of war" and its relation to "the state of society"?

Answer 1

The correct answers to these open questions are the following.

In "The Spirit of Laws," Montesquieu differs from Hobbes and Locke in his beliefs about the state of nature in that Baron de Montesquiou thought that people were fearful by nature that they were always trying to avoid any form of violence, aggression, and war.

What Montesquiou meant by "the state of war" and its relation to "the state of society" was that he thought that the time people are part of society, they lose their fear and start to compete, creating differences and inequity which has the risk to create violence and war.  

That is why, in "The Spirit of Laws," Baron of Montesquiou proposed that the government should establish the law and order in society, and at the same time, had the obligation to protect the citizens and their property.

Baron of Montesquiou was one of the brightest minds of the Enlightenment along with Jean-Jaques Rousseau, John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Voltaire.