Which thinker argued that governmental authority should be limited by law to protect individual rights?

Which thinker argued that governmental authority should be limited by law to protect individual rights?

• A. Montesquieu
• B. Louis XIV
• C. Voltaire
• D. Thomas Hobbes

Answer: (A)

Thinkers who argue that governmental power should be limited by law to protect individual rights are favoring constitutionalism and checks on authority. Montesquieu is the best fit because he argues that liberty is preserved when political power is divided into separate branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—that can check and balance one another. By binding rulers and institutions to law, and preventing any one group from monopolizing power, individuals’ rights are safeguarded from arbitrary rule. This idea is central to his Spirit of the Laws, where the distribution of power and the rule of law are designed to prevent tyranny. Louis XIV embodies the opposite approach, centralized and absolute rule where the king’s will was law. Voltaire championed civil liberties and criticized abuses of power, but did not formulate a concrete constitutional framework that binds government by law to protect rights in the same systematic way. Thomas Hobbes argued for a strong sovereign to avoid chaos, potentially granting extensive authority to the ruler rather than limiting it with law to protect individual rights. In this context, Montesquieu’s emphasis on separation of powers and legal constraints makes him the correct choice.

Thinkers who argue that governmental power should be limited by law to protect individual rights are favoring constitutionalism and checks on authority. Montesquieu is the best fit because he argues that liberty is preserved when political power is divided into separate branches—legislative, executive, and judicial—that can check and balance one another. By binding rulers and institutions to law, and preventing any one group from monopolizing power, individuals’ rights are safeguarded from arbitrary rule. This idea is central to his Spirit of the Laws, where the distribution of power and the rule of law are designed to prevent tyranny.

Louis XIV embodies the opposite approach, centralized and absolute rule where the king’s will was law. Voltaire championed civil liberties and criticized abuses of power, but did not formulate a concrete constitutional framework that binds government by law to protect rights in the same systematic way. Thomas Hobbes argued for a strong sovereign to avoid chaos, potentially granting extensive authority to the ruler rather than limiting it with law to protect individual rights. In this context, Montesquieu’s emphasis on separation of powers and legal constraints makes him the correct choice.