Machiavelli in Love: The Modern Politics of Love and Fear

(Paperback)

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Machiavelli in Love argues that the key to modernity is its understanding of love. This understanding, a reformulation of classical eros and Christian agape and caritas, accounts for significant aspects of modern political thought and practice, ranging from its conception of beauty, to its theories of power and constitutionalism, to its understanding of philosophy. To explore this modern conception of love Haig Patapan returns to Machiavelli and the origins of modernity, where the radical nature of the proposed changes compelled detailed elaboration and defence, allowing us to discern with greater clarity the choices faced and the claims advanced. Machiavelli in Love examines Machiavelli's 'modern' understanding of love and its political and philosophical consequences by relying on the distinctions he himself makes between his epistolary, poetical and political works. Each chapter of the book engages different facets of his thought to yield a comprehensive appreciation of Machiavellian love and fear and its implication for modernity. Machiavelli in Love is a unique and fascinating book that will appeal to students and scholars in fields as diverse as intellectual history, philosophy, and political science.

Reviews

Haig Patapan nicely situates Machiavelli in conversation with ancient and Christian philosophy and with later modern philosophers. His analyses of Machiavelli's letters, plays, and poems are fresh and insightful. By approachingThe Prince through the lens of Machiavelli in love, the author does manage to shed new light even on that much written-about text. -- Diana Schaub, Loyola College in Maryland
This is an indispensable book on an often neglected side of Machiavellis project. Patapan brings out the new understanding of love as a mania without end or higher inclination, the primacy of fear, and the subtle elaborations in letters and literary writings as well as in Prince and Discourses. An elegant book filled with learning and wisdom. -- Robert Faulkner, Boston College

Author Bio

Haig Patapan is an associate professor in the Department of Politics and Public Policy at Griffith University in Brisbain, Australia.