Leo Strauss's 1958 study of Machiavelli — arguing that Machiavelli was a profoundly immoral teacher who deliberately broke with the entire Western philosophical and theological tradition, making him 'a teacher of evil' — and reading the Prince and Discourses esoterically to reveal their hidden atheism and subversion.
Argues that Machiavelli is not a pragmatic realist but a radical philosopher who consciously and deliberately rejected the entire tradition of Western political philosophy that subordinated politics to morality — making the Machiavellian revolution in political thought a crisis that modern political philosophy must confront.
Discussing
Ask anything about Thoughts on Machiavelli — their ideas, influences, contradictions, legacy.
Sign in to start a conversation.