Machiavelli's Gospel

Machiavelli's Gospel

Author: William B. Parsons

Publisher: Boydell & Brewer

Published: 2016

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1580464912

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A new reading of The Prince, arguing that the classic text is neither a scientific treatise on politics nor a patriotic tract but rather an artful, elaborated critique of the dominant religion of his time


Book Synopsis Machiavelli's Gospel by : William B. Parsons

Download or read book Machiavelli's Gospel written by William B. Parsons and published by Boydell & Brewer. This book was released on 2016 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new reading of The Prince, arguing that the classic text is neither a scientific treatise on politics nor a patriotic tract but rather an artful, elaborated critique of the dominant religion of his time


Essays on Machiavelli’s Conventional Piety, Literary Inspirations, and Pre-Christian Preoccupation

Essays on Machiavelli’s Conventional Piety, Literary Inspirations, and Pre-Christian Preoccupation

Author: Maximilian Burkard

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2024-02-06

Total Pages: 201

ISBN-13: 1527570347

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This book focuses on a selection of Machiavelli’s literary pieces, among which are the Mandragola, Belfagor, the Vita di Castruccio, the Epistola, and the Pastorale. As research into literary motif, it raises, across five essays, new evidence on Machiavelli’s sources and suggestions as to where he drew from them (including the works of Livy, Virgil, and Boccaccio). Of the two other essays included, one intimates the way in which Shakespeare seems to have reappropriated Machiavelli’s Mandragola in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, in addition to Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. The other is concerned with Mantegna’s Minerva Overcoming the Vices and proposes interpretative contexts for several of the painting’s iconographic details. This book will be of interest not only to those specialising in Machiavellian and Shakesperean literature, and the artwork of Mantegna, but also to those curious about how and why pre-Christian works have been drawn upon by subsequent Christian authors.


Book Synopsis Essays on Machiavelli’s Conventional Piety, Literary Inspirations, and Pre-Christian Preoccupation by : Maximilian Burkard

Download or read book Essays on Machiavelli’s Conventional Piety, Literary Inspirations, and Pre-Christian Preoccupation written by Maximilian Burkard and published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. This book was released on 2024-02-06 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on a selection of Machiavelli’s literary pieces, among which are the Mandragola, Belfagor, the Vita di Castruccio, the Epistola, and the Pastorale. As research into literary motif, it raises, across five essays, new evidence on Machiavelli’s sources and suggestions as to where he drew from them (including the works of Livy, Virgil, and Boccaccio). Of the two other essays included, one intimates the way in which Shakespeare seems to have reappropriated Machiavelli’s Mandragola in The Two Gentlemen of Verona, in addition to Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. The other is concerned with Mantegna’s Minerva Overcoming the Vices and proposes interpretative contexts for several of the painting’s iconographic details. This book will be of interest not only to those specialising in Machiavellian and Shakesperean literature, and the artwork of Mantegna, but also to those curious about how and why pre-Christian works have been drawn upon by subsequent Christian authors.


Machiavelli's God

Machiavelli's God

Author: Maurizio Viroli

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2012-08-05

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 069115449X

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How Machiavelli's Christianity shaped his political thought To many readers of The Prince, Machiavelli appears to be deeply un-Christian or even anti-Christian, a cynic who thinks rulers should use religion only to keep their subjects in check. But in Machiavelli's God, Maurizio Viroli, one of the world's leading authorities on Machiavelli, argues that Machiavelli, far from opposing Christianity, thought it was crucial to republican social and political renewal—but that first it needed to be renewed itself. And without understanding this, Viroli contends, it is impossible to comprehend Machiavelli's thought. Viroli places Machiavelli in the context of Florence's republican Christianity, which was founded on the idea that the true Christian is a citizen who serves the common good. In this tradition, God participates in human affairs, supports and rewards those who govern justly, and desires men to make the earthly city similar to the divine one. Building on this tradition, Machiavelli advocated a religion of virtue, and he believed that, without this faith, free republics could not be established, defend themselves against corruption, or survive. Viroli makes a powerful case that Machiavelli, far from being a pagan or atheist, was a prophet of a true religion of liberty, a way of moral and political living that would rediscover and pursue charity and justice. The translation of this work has been funded by SEPS—Segretariato Europeo per le Pubblicazioni Scientifiche.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli's God by : Maurizio Viroli

Download or read book Machiavelli's God written by Maurizio Viroli and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-08-05 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How Machiavelli's Christianity shaped his political thought To many readers of The Prince, Machiavelli appears to be deeply un-Christian or even anti-Christian, a cynic who thinks rulers should use religion only to keep their subjects in check. But in Machiavelli's God, Maurizio Viroli, one of the world's leading authorities on Machiavelli, argues that Machiavelli, far from opposing Christianity, thought it was crucial to republican social and political renewal—but that first it needed to be renewed itself. And without understanding this, Viroli contends, it is impossible to comprehend Machiavelli's thought. Viroli places Machiavelli in the context of Florence's republican Christianity, which was founded on the idea that the true Christian is a citizen who serves the common good. In this tradition, God participates in human affairs, supports and rewards those who govern justly, and desires men to make the earthly city similar to the divine one. Building on this tradition, Machiavelli advocated a religion of virtue, and he believed that, without this faith, free republics could not be established, defend themselves against corruption, or survive. Viroli makes a powerful case that Machiavelli, far from being a pagan or atheist, was a prophet of a true religion of liberty, a way of moral and political living that would rediscover and pursue charity and justice. The translation of this work has been funded by SEPS—Segretariato Europeo per le Pubblicazioni Scientifiche.


Machiavelli's Platonic Problems

Machiavelli's Platonic Problems

Author: Guillaume Bogiaris

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2021-01-28

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 1793616442

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Machiavelli is traditionally understood has a thinker who rejected Platonism in bulk. This book argues that even if it is correct to describe him as unsympathetic to Platonic thought, his philosophy addresses it in a deep and nuanced manner. In order to see this, one must first disentangle Machiavelli’s conversation with Plato from his criticism of Christian Florentine Neoplatonism. Once this is done, Machiavelli’s work reveals itself to engage key Platonic themes, such as love, the place of philosophical education in politics, and the relationship between policymaking and mythmaking. This engagement helps us further characterize and clarify essential concepts and axioms of Machiavellian thought, such as fortúna, virtue, the importance of self-reliance, and the proper sources of political knowledge.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli's Platonic Problems by : Guillaume Bogiaris

Download or read book Machiavelli's Platonic Problems written by Guillaume Bogiaris and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2021-01-28 with total page 139 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Machiavelli is traditionally understood has a thinker who rejected Platonism in bulk. This book argues that even if it is correct to describe him as unsympathetic to Platonic thought, his philosophy addresses it in a deep and nuanced manner. In order to see this, one must first disentangle Machiavelli’s conversation with Plato from his criticism of Christian Florentine Neoplatonism. Once this is done, Machiavelli’s work reveals itself to engage key Platonic themes, such as love, the place of philosophical education in politics, and the relationship between policymaking and mythmaking. This engagement helps us further characterize and clarify essential concepts and axioms of Machiavellian thought, such as fortúna, virtue, the importance of self-reliance, and the proper sources of political knowledge.


Christianity and Violence in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period

Christianity and Violence in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period

Author: Fernanda Alfieri

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2021-03-08

Total Pages: 203

ISBN-13: 3110643979

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The volume explores the relationship between religion and violence in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Early modern period, involving European and Japanese scholars. It investigates the ideological foundations of the relationship between violence and religion and their development in a varied corpus of sources (political and theological treatises, correspondence of missionaries, pamphlets, and images).


Book Synopsis Christianity and Violence in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period by : Fernanda Alfieri

Download or read book Christianity and Violence in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period written by Fernanda Alfieri and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The volume explores the relationship between religion and violence in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Early modern period, involving European and Japanese scholars. It investigates the ideological foundations of the relationship between violence and religion and their development in a varied corpus of sources (political and theological treatises, correspondence of missionaries, pamphlets, and images).


Machiavelli's Effectual Truth

Machiavelli's Effectual Truth

Author: Harvey C. Mansfield

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2023-09-21

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 1009320165

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This is the first book on the 'effectual truth,' a new kind of truth invented by Machiavelli that led to the invention of scientific method in cause and effect, passed along to philosophic successors, such as Montesquieu 230 years later. High-level thinking in words you can understand.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli's Effectual Truth by : Harvey C. Mansfield

Download or read book Machiavelli's Effectual Truth written by Harvey C. Mansfield and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2023-09-21 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book on the 'effectual truth,' a new kind of truth invented by Machiavelli that led to the invention of scientific method in cause and effect, passed along to philosophic successors, such as Montesquieu 230 years later. High-level thinking in words you can understand.


Reading Machiavelli

Reading Machiavelli

Author: John P. McCormick

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-12-15

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 069121154X

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A new reading of Machiavelli’s major works that demonstrates how he has been previously misread To what extent was Niccolò Machiavelli a “Machiavellian”? Was he an amoral adviser of tyranny or a stalwart partisan of liberty? A neutral technician of power politics or a devout Italian patriot? A reviver of pagan virtue or initiator of modern nihilism? Reading Machiavelli answers these questions through original interpretations of Machiavelli’s three major political works—The Prince, Discourses, and Florentine Histories—and demonstrates that a radically democratic populism seeded the Florentine’s scandalous writings. John McCormick challenges the misguided understandings of Machiavelli set forth by prominent thinkers, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau and representatives of the Straussian and Cambridge schools, and he emphasizes the fundamental, often unacknowledged elements of a vibrant Machiavellian politics. Advancing fresh readings of Machiavelli’s work, this book presents a new outlook on how politics should be conceptualized and practiced.


Book Synopsis Reading Machiavelli by : John P. McCormick

Download or read book Reading Machiavelli written by John P. McCormick and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-12-15 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A new reading of Machiavelli’s major works that demonstrates how he has been previously misread To what extent was Niccolò Machiavelli a “Machiavellian”? Was he an amoral adviser of tyranny or a stalwart partisan of liberty? A neutral technician of power politics or a devout Italian patriot? A reviver of pagan virtue or initiator of modern nihilism? Reading Machiavelli answers these questions through original interpretations of Machiavelli’s three major political works—The Prince, Discourses, and Florentine Histories—and demonstrates that a radically democratic populism seeded the Florentine’s scandalous writings. John McCormick challenges the misguided understandings of Machiavelli set forth by prominent thinkers, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau and representatives of the Straussian and Cambridge schools, and he emphasizes the fundamental, often unacknowledged elements of a vibrant Machiavellian politics. Advancing fresh readings of Machiavelli’s work, this book presents a new outlook on how politics should be conceptualized and practiced.


Machiavelli's Politics

Machiavelli's Politics

Author: Catherine H. Zuckert

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2017-04-25

Total Pages: 511

ISBN-13: 022643480X

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Machiavelli is popularly known as a teacher of tyrants, a key proponent of the unscrupulous “Machiavellian” politics laid down in his landmark political treatise The Prince. Others cite the Discourses on Livy to argue that Machiavelli is actually a passionate advocate of republican politics who saw the need for occasional harsh measures to maintain political order. Which best characterizes the teachings of the prolific Italian philosopher? With Machiavelli’s Politics, Catherine H. Zuckert turns this question on its head with a major reinterpretation of Machiavelli’s prose works that reveals a surprisingly cohesive view of politics. Starting with Machiavelli’s two major political works, Zuckert persuasively shows that the moral revolution Machiavelli sets out in The Prince lays the foundation for the new form of democratic republic he proposes in the Discourses. Distrusting ambitious politicians to serve the public interest of their own accord, Machiavelli sought to persuade them in The Prince that the best way to achieve their own ambitions was to secure the desires and ambitions of their subjects and fellow citizens. In the Discourses, he then describes the types of laws and institutions that would balance the conflict between the two in a way that would secure the liberty of most, if not all. In the second half of her book, Zuckert places selected later works—La Mandragola, The Art of War, The Life of Castruccio Castracani, Clizia, and Florentine Histories—under scrutiny, showing how Machiavelli further developed certain aspects of his thought in these works. In The Art of War, for example, he explains more concretely how and to what extent the principles of organization he advanced in The Prince and the Discourses ought to be applied in modern circumstances. Because human beings act primarily on passions, Machiavelli attempts to show readers what those passions are and how they can be guided to have productive rather than destructive results. A stunning and ambitious analysis, Machiavelli’s Politics brilliantly shows how many conflicting perspectives do inform Machiavelli’s teachings, but that one needs to consider all of his works in order to understand how they cohere into a unified political view. This is a magisterial work that cannot be ignored if a comprehensive understanding of the philosopher is to be obtained.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli's Politics by : Catherine H. Zuckert

Download or read book Machiavelli's Politics written by Catherine H. Zuckert and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-04-25 with total page 511 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Machiavelli is popularly known as a teacher of tyrants, a key proponent of the unscrupulous “Machiavellian” politics laid down in his landmark political treatise The Prince. Others cite the Discourses on Livy to argue that Machiavelli is actually a passionate advocate of republican politics who saw the need for occasional harsh measures to maintain political order. Which best characterizes the teachings of the prolific Italian philosopher? With Machiavelli’s Politics, Catherine H. Zuckert turns this question on its head with a major reinterpretation of Machiavelli’s prose works that reveals a surprisingly cohesive view of politics. Starting with Machiavelli’s two major political works, Zuckert persuasively shows that the moral revolution Machiavelli sets out in The Prince lays the foundation for the new form of democratic republic he proposes in the Discourses. Distrusting ambitious politicians to serve the public interest of their own accord, Machiavelli sought to persuade them in The Prince that the best way to achieve their own ambitions was to secure the desires and ambitions of their subjects and fellow citizens. In the Discourses, he then describes the types of laws and institutions that would balance the conflict between the two in a way that would secure the liberty of most, if not all. In the second half of her book, Zuckert places selected later works—La Mandragola, The Art of War, The Life of Castruccio Castracani, Clizia, and Florentine Histories—under scrutiny, showing how Machiavelli further developed certain aspects of his thought in these works. In The Art of War, for example, he explains more concretely how and to what extent the principles of organization he advanced in The Prince and the Discourses ought to be applied in modern circumstances. Because human beings act primarily on passions, Machiavelli attempts to show readers what those passions are and how they can be guided to have productive rather than destructive results. A stunning and ambitious analysis, Machiavelli’s Politics brilliantly shows how many conflicting perspectives do inform Machiavelli’s teachings, but that one needs to consider all of his works in order to understand how they cohere into a unified political view. This is a magisterial work that cannot be ignored if a comprehensive understanding of the philosopher is to be obtained.


Machiavelli: The Prince

Machiavelli: The Prince

Author: Niccolo Machiavelli

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2019-01-03

Total Pages: 205

ISBN-13: 1107145864

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Fully updated for the first time after thirty years, this new edition includes a thoroughly revised introduction by Quentin Skinner.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli: The Prince by : Niccolo Machiavelli

Download or read book Machiavelli: The Prince written by Niccolo Machiavelli and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-03 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Fully updated for the first time after thirty years, this new edition includes a thoroughly revised introduction by Quentin Skinner.


Machiavelli on War

Machiavelli on War

Author: Christopher Lynch

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2023-12-15

Total Pages: 439

ISBN-13: 1501773038

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Machiavelli on War offers a comprehensive interpretation of the philosopher-historian's treatment of war throughout his writings, from poems and memoranda drafted while he was Florence's top official for military matters to his posthumous works, The Prince and Discourses on Livy. Christopher Lynch argues that the issue of war permeates the form and content of each of Machiavelli's works, the substance of his thoughts, and his own activity as a writer, concluding that he was the first great modern philosopher because he was the first modern philosopher of war. Lynch details Machiavelli's understanding of warfare in terms of both actual armed conflict and at the intellectual level of thinkers competing on the field of knowledge and belief. Throughout Machiavelli's works, he focuses on how military commanders' knowledge of human necessities, beginning with their own, enables and requires them to mold soldiers, organizationally and politically, to best deploy them in operations attuned to political context and changing circumstances. Intellectually, leaders must shape minds, their own and others', to reject beliefs that would weaken their purpose; for Machiavelli, this meant overcoming the classical and Christian traditions in favor of a new teaching of human freedom and excellence. As Machiavelli on War makes clear, prevailing both on the battlefield and in the war of ideas demands a single-minded engagement in "reasoning about everything," beginning with oneself. For Machiavelli, Lynch shows, the successful military commander is not just an excellent leader but also an excellent human being in constant pursuit of the truth about themselves and the world.


Book Synopsis Machiavelli on War by : Christopher Lynch

Download or read book Machiavelli on War written by Christopher Lynch and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2023-12-15 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Machiavelli on War offers a comprehensive interpretation of the philosopher-historian's treatment of war throughout his writings, from poems and memoranda drafted while he was Florence's top official for military matters to his posthumous works, The Prince and Discourses on Livy. Christopher Lynch argues that the issue of war permeates the form and content of each of Machiavelli's works, the substance of his thoughts, and his own activity as a writer, concluding that he was the first great modern philosopher because he was the first modern philosopher of war. Lynch details Machiavelli's understanding of warfare in terms of both actual armed conflict and at the intellectual level of thinkers competing on the field of knowledge and belief. Throughout Machiavelli's works, he focuses on how military commanders' knowledge of human necessities, beginning with their own, enables and requires them to mold soldiers, organizationally and politically, to best deploy them in operations attuned to political context and changing circumstances. Intellectually, leaders must shape minds, their own and others', to reject beliefs that would weaken their purpose; for Machiavelli, this meant overcoming the classical and Christian traditions in favor of a new teaching of human freedom and excellence. As Machiavelli on War makes clear, prevailing both on the battlefield and in the war of ideas demands a single-minded engagement in "reasoning about everything," beginning with oneself. For Machiavelli, Lynch shows, the successful military commander is not just an excellent leader but also an excellent human being in constant pursuit of the truth about themselves and the world.