The Theological Basis of Liberal Modernity in Montesquieu's "Spirit of the Laws"The Spirit of the LawsMontesquieus huge, complex, and enormously influential workis considered one of the central texts of the Enlightenment, laying the foundation for the liberally democratic political regimes that were to embody its values. In his penetrating analysis, Thomas L. Pangle brilliantly argues that the inherently theological project of Enlightenment liberalism is made more clearlyand more consequentially in Spirit than in any other work.