Jean Bodin Six Books Of The Commonwealth

Jean Bodin in his work ‘Six Books of the Commonwealth’ raises four different ways in which individuals become slaves. He states that slaves can arise through being born of an enslaved mother, by acquisition after a successful conquest, by punishment for a criminal offence, or by an individual relinquishing their liberty to another entity. Bodin contends that evidence of slavery being a natural institution is derived from its ubiquitous presence across civilisations and cultures throughout history, suggesting that it ‘cannot be that so many rulers and legislators have upheld an institution which was unnatural”. Furthermore, Bodin puts forth an argument in support of the righteousness of enslavement by declaring that it is ‘laudible and charitable’
to condemn a prisoner to servitude as an alternative to ‘killing him in cold blood’ which presumably would be the most common outcome if slavery was non-existent. However, Bodin subsequently rebuts the assertion of slavery being a natural and inherent institution by insisting it is artificial and indeed a betrayal of nature to subject wise, physically strong slaves to serve under malevolent masters who often find themselves in positions of authority by happenstance rather than by competence or merit. Bodin also dismisses that the universal presence of slavery across civilisations can be used as proof of it being a natural construct by providing the counterexample of human sacrifice, which was once commonly practiced by cultures across the world; Bodin states that the modern detestation and disapproval of human sacrifice demonstrates ‘how little the laws of nature can be deduced by men’. In addition, Bodin says that since a victor in battle usually denounces his opponents of waging war without a casus belli, that the enslavement of a vanquished adversary is unjustifiable from a natural viewpoint as executing them to make an example of their alleged unlawful behaviour would be far more organic. Finally, Bodin rejects the notion of slavery being a charitable act motivated by altruism as he notes that the master’s self-interest is always the overarching concern which is made plainly evident by the treatment of slaves being analogous to that of cattle.

In Bodin’s opinion religion did not impede the genesis of slavery to a meaningful degree, but has contributed somewhat towards catalysing its decline. In particular, he proposes that the adoption of Christianity as a mainstream religion has correlated to a broad decline in the prevalence of slavery and also that the enfranchising of those that adhere to the teachings of Muhammad has been significant. Nonetheless, Bodin notes that slavery is still a reality in the Christian and Islamic dominated regions of Asia, Africa, and Europe which undermines the contention that these religions have been truly effective forces in curbing slavery. He maintains that the failure of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism to systematically abolish the institution of slavery is attributable to adherents of these three religions only ‘partially observing the law of God with regards to slaves’ due to greed and selfishness among slave masters overriding the tenet of benevolence that is ingrained within these religions.

Bodin’s view on slavery is markedly different from that articulated in many Ancient Roman texts.
Firstly, whilst some Romans (particularly those from the elite, upper echelons of society) seemed sympathetic to treating slaves in a somewhat dignified manner, Bodin goes much further by characterising slavery as fundamentally immoral and even suggesting that ‘it was an unmitigated catastrophe that the institution was ever introduced’. Bodin’s view that slavery should be completely abolished would have been inconceivable in Ancient Rome, where even the slaves themselves ‘never proclaimed, or held out hopes for, the complete abolition of slavery’, so therefore Bodin’s searing attack on the institution of slavery represents a powerful evolution of thought. Moreover, unlike Marcus Terentius Varro who in his work ‘On Agriculture’ views slaves in a very cold and calculated manner as merely being a tool to be exploited, Bodin instead acknowledges the emotional dimensions of slavery by expressing empathy rather than indifference towards the turmoil that those in subjugation endure. Embedded within Bodin’s piece is the subtle notion that slavery is becoming increasingly archaic and irrelevant in modern times which stands in stark contrast to Ancient Rome in which it was clearly discernible that society had a strong dependence of slavery in order to ‘function and maintain its political, social, and economic stranglehold on the Mediterranean area and beyond’. Finally, by recognising the implicit inhumanity encapsulated by slavery, Bodin has the ability to define servitude not by Senecca’s simplistic criterion of a lack of control over one’s actions, but rather by realising the severity of institutionalised slavery is such that the moral affront that it represents must not be whitewashed. Ultimately, Bodin’s advanced and nuanced perception of the evils of slavery enable him to avoid the absurd conclusions reached by many Roman writers that the lack of free will associated
with servitude is in any way comparable to that of other types of relationships.