ABSTRACT

Our consciousness and all of our ideas are highly interconnected and very complicated by the numerous paths by which men reach their conclusions. Each person has his own point of view; and even this may change at different times. The spirit of the law, therefore, results from the good or bad logic of the judge; which may in turn depend on his good or bad digestion, or the intensity of his emotions. The disorder caused by the rigorous adherence to the letter of the law is insignificant compared to that caused by its interpretation. The cruelty of a despot is conditioned by the obstacles he faces, not by the power that he wields. In this way citizens receive security for themselves that is right because it is in keeping with their standing in society, and is useful because it precisely accounts for the inconveniences caused by a misdeed.