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The Discourses (Classics)
by: Niccolo Machiavelli

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 937
EAN: 9780140444285
ISBN: 0140444289
Label: Penguin Classics
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 544
Publication Date: October 27, 1983
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Studio: Penguin Classics
Sales Rank: 12966

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Editorial Review:

Synopsis:
Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolo Machiavelli. But while his treatise "The Prince" made his name synonymous with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, "The Discourses" (c.1517) shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics.In this carefully argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic, "The Discourses" creates a modern theory of republic politics. Leslie J. Walker's definitive translation has been revised by Brian Richardson and is accompanied by an introduction by Bernard Crick, which illuminates Machiavelli's historical context and his new theories of politics. This edition also includes suggestions for further reading and notes.

Customer Reviews

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Rating:

- If you want to be a politician, this should be your Bible
Being a reader of philosophy and history i have of course stumbed across Machiavelli; his Prince is a fascinating treatise on how to be the perfect dictator. The Discourses is far longer and more complex but all the better for it; its detail and shocking relevence to public affairs is astonishing for a man who spent most of his time either working as a diplomat in Italy or in forced exile from his native Florence. All in all some chapters such as those on Italian war efforts should really in all fairness be ignored but engaging and frequently humourous writing lifts this book above other political philosophies.

Books : The Discourses (Classics)