Limited from the Outside: Francisco Suárez and the External Limits of Political Power

Abstract

Francisco Suárez has been interpreted both as a champion of absolute power and as an advocate of popular sovereignty. Although not taking a position in this debate, this paper seeks to understand whether Suárez’s political thought provides theoretical ground to advance the notion of limited government. It focuses specifically on the question of whether there are, in Suárez’s work, external limits to the power of rulers at home. The answer is considered by regarding two elements, which we argue contribute to such a limitation. First, the paper considers how the ius gentium hinders the possibility of an all-powerful government at home; then, it focuses on how the hierarchical ordering of the spiritual and temporal spheres limit the scope of the ruler of the latter. It is argued that both elements provide some ground for limiting the extent of power by rulers in their communities.