Rule of law, spirit of equality and spirit of extreme equality: drawing on The Spirit of the Laws to define the virtue of civic forbearance

Lucia Corso

Chapter 4 in Virtues and the Rule of Law, 2026, pp 75-91 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The chapter examines the virtue of civic forbearance, which will be presented as a form of civic self-restraint through which citizens accept the mediated exercise of power, even amid disagreement. This disposition is conceptualized as a virtue grounded in patience and moderation, requiring citizens to abstain from withdrawing the political mandate and wait to sanction representatives through the institutional channels, including the following electoral cycle. Montesquieu's notion of extreme equality serves as a prototype for the absence of this virtue, while Pierre Rosanvallon's account of pathological counter-democracy provides a contemporary parallel illustrating how the erosion of this tolerance endangers the stability of constitutional governance. Finally, Timothy Endicott's notion of comity will be used as a term of comparison to help define the virtue of civic forbearance.

Keywords: Virtue; Civic Forbearance; Equality; Rule Of Law (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035398072
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