Machiavelli and the Religion of the Ancients
Platonism and Radical Republicanism
Seiten
2026
Edinburgh University Press (Verlag)
9781399517829 (ISBN)
Edinburgh University Press (Verlag)
9781399517829 (ISBN)
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Presents a new interpretation of Machiavelli’s recovery of ancient religion and its role in establishing a modern form of republicanism.
Machiavellianism and Platonism are traditionally opposed, as realism is to idealism, and might is to right. This book questions this opposition, arguing that Machiavelli is far more influenced by Platonism than by Epicureanism. The Platonism at the time of the Medici is marked by the reception of Arabic/Islamic and Byzantine interpretations of Plato. These portray Platonism as an expression of an “ancient theology” that offers an alternative to Christianity by undoing a stark opposition between faith and knowledge; emphasising the political and state-founding role of prophets; affirming the continuity between humans and animals; and defending the rationality of divine and human law. Miguel Vatter contends that from these alternative approaches to Platonism, Machiavelli draws a critique of both the Catholic Church and of Humanism, rejecting their oligarchic tendencies in favour of a radical form of republicanism.
Machiavellianism and Platonism are traditionally opposed, as realism is to idealism, and might is to right. This book questions this opposition, arguing that Machiavelli is far more influenced by Platonism than by Epicureanism. The Platonism at the time of the Medici is marked by the reception of Arabic/Islamic and Byzantine interpretations of Plato. These portray Platonism as an expression of an “ancient theology” that offers an alternative to Christianity by undoing a stark opposition between faith and knowledge; emphasising the political and state-founding role of prophets; affirming the continuity between humans and animals; and defending the rationality of divine and human law. Miguel Vatter contends that from these alternative approaches to Platonism, Machiavelli draws a critique of both the Catholic Church and of Humanism, rejecting their oligarchic tendencies in favour of a radical form of republicanism.
Miguel Vatter is Professor of Politics at Deakin University.
Acknowledgments
Introduction: From the Ancient Religion to the Modern Economy
1. Primitivism and Constitutionalism: Astral Theology in Medici Florence
2. Of Bastards, Plebeians and Natural Law: Plato, Scala, Plethon and the Machiavellis
3. Virtue Politics, Polybius and Florentine Constitutionalism: Deconstructing the Myth of Venice
4. Necessity and the Legitimacy of the Modern State: Machiavelli’s Reception of Hellenistic Kingship
5. From Divine Economy to the Constitution of Capitalism
Conclusion: Christianity, Republicanism and Historical Recurrence
Bibliography
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 31.7.2026 |
|---|---|
| Reihe/Serie | Edinburgh Studies in Comparative Political Theory and Intellectual History |
| Zusatzinfo | 6 black and white illustrations |
| Verlagsort | Edinburgh |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 156 x 234 mm |
| Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Geschichte der Philosophie |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie | |
| ISBN-13 | 9781399517829 / 9781399517829 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
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