The spirit of the ‘net

Abstract

In 1748, Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, published his masterpiece, The Spirit of the Laws. The French intellectual argued that the state’s political authority should be separated into three independent powers: the legislative, the executive and the judicial. As history has shown, the attribution of distinct functions to distinct bodies is instrumental to prevent concentration of power, as well as the possibility that public authorities take arbitrary decisions that may have a negative impact on individuals’ freedom...