Machiavelli's Platonic Problems

Guillaume Bogiaris

doi:10.5771/9781793616449

Machiavelli's Platonic Problems

Neoplatonism, Eros, Mythmaking, and Philosophy in Machiavellian Thought

1. Edition 2021

No access

doi.org/10.5771/9781793616449
ISBN print: 978-1-7936-1643-2
ISBN online: 978-1-7936-1644-9
Lexington, Lanham Lexington, Lanham

Buy in store

Abstract

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.

Schlagworte

Plato Philosophical Education Eros Ficino Machiavelli Myth Neoplatonism Xenophon

Chapter Expand | CollapsePage
Preface
1–18 Chapter 1 Machiavelli, Florentine Neoplatonism, and the Medici 1–18
19–32 Chapter 2 Machiavelli’s Critique of Diotima’s Eros 19–32
33–58 Chapter 3 Myths and Policymaking in Machiavelli and Plato 33–58
59–84 Chapter 4 Hunting, History, and Philosophy in Machiavelli’s Princely Education 59–84
85–94 Conclusion 85–94
95–100 Bibliography 95–100
101–104 Index 101–104
105–106 About the Author 105–106

Durchsuchen Sie das Werk

Geben Sie ein Keyword in die Suchleiste ein