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Thoughts on Machiavelli (Paperback)

~ (Author) "WE shall not shock anyone, we shall merely expose ourselves to good-natured or at any rate harmless ridicule, if we profess ourselves inclined to the..." (more)
Key Phrases: world into weakness, wholly new teaching, soldiers obstinate, Second Book, Livy's History, Epistle Dedicatory (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Leo Strauss argued that the most visible fact about Machiavelli's doctrine is also the most useful one: Machiavelli seems to be a teacher of wickedness. Strauss sought to incorporate this idea in his interpretation without permitting it to overwhelm or exhaust his exegesis of The Prince and the Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy. "We are in sympathy," he writes, "with the simple opinion about Machiavelli [namely, the wickedness of his teaching], not only because it is wholesome, but above all because a failure to take that opinion seriously prevents one from doing justice to what is truly admirable in Machiavelli: the intrepidity of his thought, the grandeur of his vision, and the graceful subtlety of his speech." This critique of the founder of modern political philosophy by this prominent twentieth-century scholar is an essential text for students of both authors.


About the Author

Leo Strauss (1899-1973) joined the University of Chicago as professor of political philosophy in 1949 and was later named Robert Maynard Hutchins Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus in political science. His many books include Liberalism, Ancient and Modern, and The City and Man, both available from the University of Chicago Press.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 348 pages
  • Publisher: University Of Chicago Press (October 15, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0226777022
  • ISBN-13: 978-0226777023
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #105,803 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Leo Strauss
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
WE shall not shock anyone, we shall merely expose ourselves to good-natured or at any rate harmless ridicule, if we profess ourselves inclined to the old-fashioned and simple opinion according to which Machiavelli was a teacher of evil. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
world into weakness, wholly new teaching, soldiers obstinate, most ancient antiquity, central sermon, manifest blunder, actual prince, particular counsel, earthly fatherland, potential princes, classical political philosophy, pious cruelty, unarmed prophets, heroic founders, poetic fables, first ten books, most excellent men, willing being, mixed bodies
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Second Book, Livy's History, Epistle Dedicatory, Appius Claudius, Cesare Borgia, Manlius Capitolinus, Alexander the Great, New Testament, Marcus Aurelius, Roman Church, Biblical God, Ciminian Forest, Epistles Dedicatory, Fabius Maximus, Florentine Histories, Great Tradition, Old Testament, King David, Pope Julius, United States, First Punic War, Gallic War, Hence Machiavelli, Hiero of Syracuse, While Machiavelli
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A New Look at an Old Philosopher, March 10, 1998
By A Customer
This is an endlessly frustrating and illuminating book written by Leo Strauss. Even if you aren't able to fathom esoteric writing, you will be continuously surprised by Strauss's clarity of thought about Machiavelli in both the larger context of the entire book, and in the minutae of the details. It has a way of forcing one to puzzle over things in a new way, and is free of the rhetoric of ideologues and demagogues. It makes the reader feel like a young student in the presence of a great, beneficent teacher.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Explaining The First Modern Philosopher, April 26, 2004
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Leo Strauss does a masterful job of bringing the teachings of the world's first modern philosopher to light. Machiavelli is notorious for his "evil" treatise on political thinking and acting, "The Prince". Strauss writes the U.S. is the only country "founded in implicit opposition to Machiavellian principles". Modern philosophers starting with Machiavelli reject the classical view as undemocratic and elitist. Only wealthy men of leisure would have time to develop the virtues and character necessary to rule. Machiavelli believed that man by nature was selfish and driven by ambition. Machiavelli is not interested in character formation and moral appeal but in building the right kind of institutions to govern society. Laws and justice would protect men from power hungry rulers. Modern philosophy is an out growth of the revolution that takes place in the natural sciences during the Enlightenment. The purpose of science is the conquest of nature man is in control of human life. Philosophers from Machiavelli on become sectarian. "Everything good is due to man's labor rather than to nature's gift." Yet, when you delve into Strauss' "Thoughts On Machiavelli" you come to realize all he teaches is not evil. Machiavelli in his treatise "Discourses On The First Ten Books Of Livy" believes the Roman Republic was the best and most virtuous form of government to emulate. His breadth and understanding of Roman history is remarkable. This book is not the easiest of reads and I recommend it not be the first book by Strauss you read. Start with his "Introduction To Political Philosophy" or "History Of Political Philosophy.

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be a great book to start one's journey into political philosophy.
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29 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Towering achievement, November 22, 1999
One of the best and most important books of the 20th Century. I know that sounds ridiculous (shouldn't it be famous then?) but it's true. Strauss traces the beginnings of modernity to a concious design of Machiavelli's to overthrow all previous authority in favor of "new modes and orders." In other words, according to Strauss, the world we live in is not only not the result of imperonsal, inevitable "progress," it was made possible by one man who knew exactly what he was doing.

Through a detailed analysis of Machiavelli's books, Strauss shows how every important feature of modern thought is either directly traceable to Machiavelli, or else depends on a foundation he built. More importantly, Strauss outlines the differences between Machiavellism and what Machiavelli sought to replace--thereby making possible a (qualified) return to the superior understanding of pre-Machiavellian philosophy.

Such a return becomes more necessary every day, as the contradictions and prodigious errors of modern thought continue to erode civilization. Strauss alone has shown that return is possible--and this book is an indespenible guide for how to get there.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars A teacher of evil
"Thoughts on Machiavelli" is vintage Leo Strauss. In other words, the book is difficult to read, convoluted, and constantly strays from the main subject. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ashtar Command

5.0 out of 5 stars The chewy center of the Straussian project
The centrality of Thoughts on Machiavelli within Strauss' work cannot be overemphasized. During his lifetime (by my count), Leo Strauss published some 14 or 15 books (depending on... Read more
Published 15 months ago by greg taylor

5.0 out of 5 stars Explaining The First modern Philosopher
Leo Strauss does a masterful job of bringing the teachings of the world's first modern philosopher to light. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Michael A Neulander

5.0 out of 5 stars Persecution and the Art of Machiavelli
Yes, Leo Strauss has the guts to say that Machiavelli is evil, and through a scintillating display of close reading, Strauss silently points, and nods, in the direction of the... Read more
Published on January 19, 2001 by Christopher W. Coffman

5.0 out of 5 stars Wheels within wheels
So, says Strauss, Machiavelli is evil? Is that so? What do we mean by this? Is this not all too comforting an answer to a question that Strauss hammers the complexity of... Read more
Published on December 10, 1999 by J. C. Woods

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