title: [Today's meaning of classical authors of political thinking].
abstract: How can classical political authors be actualised? The question is asked in a discipline which is founded in old traditions: the political science. One of its great matters is the history of political ideas. Classic authors are treated in many books, but they are viewed in different perspectives; colleagues do not agree with shining and bad examples. For actualising classic we have to go a methodically reflected way: historic not historicistic, with sensibility for classic and christian norms without dogmatism or scepticism. Searching the permanent problems we try to translate the original concepts of the classic authors carefully in our time. For demonstrating our method of actualising, we choose the French classical author Montesquieu. His famous concept of division of powers is misunderstood as a "liberal" mechanism which works in itself in favour of freedom (such as Kant made work a "natural mechanism" in a people of devils in favour of their legality); in reality Montesquieu acknoledges that constitutional und organisational work cannot stabilise themselves but must be found in social character and in human virtues.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Politische Wissenschaft der Universität Würzburg.
authors.forename: Paul-Ludwig
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Weinacht
mesh_terms: D005602:France; D005858:Germany; D049671:History, 18th Century; D008093:Literature, Modern / Q000266:history*; D010684:Philosophy / Q000266:history*; D011057:Politics