The Political Philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli

Filippo Del Lucchese

Paperback

£25.99

Hardback i (Printed to Order)

£105.00

Ebook (PDF) i

£25.99

A new, critical introduction to Machiavelli's thought for students of politics and philosophy

All students of Western political thought encounter Niccolò Machiavelli's work. Nevertheless, his writing continues to puzzle scholars and readers who are uncertain how to deal with the seeming paradoxes they encounter.

The Political Philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli is a clear account of Machiavelli’s thought, major theories and central ideas. It critically engages with his work in a new way, one not based on the problematic Cambridge-school approach. Geared towards the specific requirements of students who need to reach a sound understanding of Machiavelli’s ideas, it is the ideal companion to the study of this influential and challenging philosopher.

Key Features

Introduces Machiavelli’s life and the historical and theoretical context within which he developed his ideas
Detailed examinations Machiavelli's most commonly encountered texts, including The Prince, The Discourses, The Florentine Histories and The Art of War
Critically analyses Machiavelli’s most important concepts and shows how they continue to reverberate within Western political philosophyPays particular attention to Machiavelli's language and central themes such as Virtue, Fortune, Conflict, History and Religion

Contents

Preface
Part I: The Red Dawn of Modernity, 1: The Storm
Part II: A Political Philosophy, 2: The philosopher, 3: The Discourses on Livy, 4: The Prince, 5: History as Politics, 6: War as an art
Part III: Legacy, Reception, and Influence, 7: Authority, conflict, and the origin of the State (sixteenth-eighteenth centuries), 8: Nationalism and class conflict (nineteenth-twentieth centuries)
Chronology
Notes
References
Index

Inspection Copy

You must log in or register to request an inspection copy.

Reviews

Filippo Del Lucchese provides an original interpretation of Machiavelli’s thought as well as the debates surrounding his work over four centuries. Written with clarity and elegance, this book is likely to become a classic.
– Étienne Balibar, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy at University Paris-Nanterre

Del Lucchese's reading of Machiavelli is an exemplary interpretation. It is a highly readable and engaging account of Machiavelli that is both scholarly and plausible. Importantly, it shows how Machiavelli has much to say about the practice of politics and the nature of historical developments in the early modern, and indeed the late modern, world. This is more than enough to be going on with.
– Gary Browning, Oxford Brookes University, Radical Philosophy

About the Author

Filippo Del Lucchese is Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Bologna and a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg. His research interests are in the early modern period and the history of political thought and Marxism. He has been a Marie Curie fellow and holds degrees from the universities of Pisa and Paris IV (Sorbonne). He is the author of Conflict, Power and Multitude in Machiavelli and Spinoza (Continuum, 2009), The Political Philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli (EUP, 2015), and Monstrosity and Philosophy: Radical Otherness in Greek and Latin Culture (EUP, 2019). He has published articles in journals such as History of Political Thought, European Journal of Political Theory, Dialogue, International Studies in Philosophy, and Differences. He has taught in France, Lebanon, the United States and in the UK.