Machiavelli : A Very Short Introduction
By: Skinner, Quentin.
Series: Oxford Very Short Introductions series. Publisher: Oxford University Press 2019Description: 144.pp. 174x111mm.ISBN: 9780198837572.Subject(s): Political science -- Political scientists -- Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469-1527DDC classification: 320.1092 Summary: Niccolo Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil so that good may come of it, and his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity and immorality. Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner traces the course of Machiavelli's adult life, from his time as Second Chancellor of the Florentine republic, during which he met with kings, the pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor; to the fall of the republic in 1512; to his death in 1527. It was after the fall of the Republic that Machiavelli composed his main political works: The Prince, the Discourses, and The History of Florence. In this second edition of his Very Short Introduction Skinner includes new material on The Prince, showing how Machiavelli developed his neo-classical political theory, through engaging in continual dialogue with the ancient Roman moralists and historians, especially Cicero and Livy. The aim of political leaders, Machiavelli argues, should be to act virtuously so far as possible, but to stand ready 'to be not good' when this course of action is dictated by necessity. Exploring the pivotal concept of princely virtu to be found in classical and Renaissance humanist texts, Skinner brings new light to Machiavelli's philosophy of a willingness to do whatever may be necessary - whether moral or otherwise -to maintain a position of power.Item type | Current location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode |
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Books | NASSDOC Library | 320.1092 SKI-M (Browse shelf) | Available | 51285 |
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320.1 THE-W What does the ruling class do when it rules? state apparatuses and state power under feudalism, capitalism and socialism | 320.101 STA- State: theories and issues | 320.1082 ARY-W Women, gender equality and the state | 320.1092 SKI-M Machiavelli | 320.10954 SHA-; State and politics in contemporary India | 320.10954133 PAS-S State Politics in Odisha | 320.109542 KUD-R Region, nation, heartland: Uttar Pradesh in India's body politic |
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Niccolo Machiavelli taught that political leaders must be prepared to do evil so that good may come of it, and his name has been a byword ever since for duplicity and immorality. Is his sinister reputation deserved? In answering this question Quentin Skinner traces the course of Machiavelli's adult life, from his time as Second Chancellor of the Florentine republic, during which he met with kings, the pope, and the Holy Roman Emperor; to the fall of the republic in 1512; to his death in 1527. It was after the fall of the Republic that Machiavelli composed his main political works: The Prince, the Discourses, and The History of Florence. In this second edition of his Very Short Introduction Skinner includes new material on The Prince, showing how Machiavelli developed his neo-classical political theory, through engaging in continual dialogue with the ancient Roman moralists and historians, especially Cicero and Livy. The aim of political leaders, Machiavelli argues, should be to act virtuously so far as possible, but to stand ready 'to be not good' when this course of action is dictated by necessity. Exploring the pivotal concept of princely virtu to be found in classical and Renaissance humanist texts, Skinner brings new light to Machiavelli's philosophy of a willingness to do whatever may be necessary - whether moral or otherwise -to maintain a position of power.
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