"In the eyes of the Enlightenment thinkers themselves, it was clear that the revolt against authority, the basis of their polemic, could only escape the temptations of anarchism by falling back on the contemplation of an absolute model of justice that would frame human life, giving it meaning and justification. It is the unlimited faith in the “'law”', in the equality of all before the law, that alone legitimises the function of the State and elevates it from the political to the moral plane, rightly making it “part of the heavenly”. The “general will”, the powerful idea that must justify the source of power, will coincide with a law of nature and become the very expression of natural fatality. Thus was born the “mystique of democracy”, which found its point of origin in The Social Contract and its historical conclusion in universal suffrage. Law and freedom became one and the same: absolutism no longer had any reason to exist. (II, I; p. 78)"
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Giovanni_Spadolini
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Giovanni Spadolini
1925 – 1994
Giovanni Spadolini (1925 - 1994) was an Italian politician and statesman, who served as the 44th prime minister of Italy. He had been a leading figure in the Republican Party and the first head of a government to not be a member of Christian Democrats since 1945. He was also a newspaper editor, journalist and historian. He is considered a highly respected intellectual for his literary works and his cultural dimension.
23 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Giovanni Spadolini →
Related Quotes
"Mrs Gandhi was moving closer to the West. Even within the non-aligned countries, she was forging ever stronger ties w…"
"There can be no united Italy without the foundation laid by Garibaldi. The Garibaldi legend is, in reality, the only …"
"Solve the mystery of the Mig23 and you will have found the key to discovering the truth about Ustica."
"It will be under the aegis of the invincible Axis, the new Europe of Law, Justice, Freedom and Love. The Europe of th…"
"Yes: the case of Prezzolini was one of the most significant in contemporary culture in our country. Prezzolini embodi…"
"(About Carlo Donat-Cattin) A man who constantly fought to maintain a strong link between institutional structures and…"
"(About Bettino Ricasoli) Grumpy, reclusive, wild: almost always shut away in his Brolio, from which he rarely descend…"
"Ricasoli embodied the concept of the modern state, which does not tolerate limitations and competition from other pow…"
"If Mazzini is the prophet of the left, Ricasoli can rightly be considered the prophet of the right: among all the suc…"
"(About Giulio Andreotti) Opposed to general ideas, pragmatic and realistic like few others, with his own streak of “C…"