Machiavelli's Platonic Problems: Neoplatonism, Eros, Mythmaking, and Philosophy in Machiavellian Thought

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Machiavelli is traditionally understood has a thinker who rejected Platonism in bulk. This book argues that even if it is correct to describe him as unsympathetic to Platonic thought, his philosophy addresses it in a deep and nuanced manner. In order to see this, one must first disentangle Machiavellis conversation with Plato from his criticism of Christian Florentine Neoplatonism. Once this is done, Machiavellis work reveals itself to engage key Platonic themes, such as love, the place of philosophical education in politics, and the relationship between policymaking and mythmaking. This engagement helps us further characterize and clarify essential concepts and axioms of Machiavellian thought, such as fortna, virtue, the importance of self-reliance, and the proper sources of political knowledge.

Reviews

Bogiaris enjoyable book offers a compelling and succinct account of the contentious interpretation that Machiavellis effectual truth aimed to destroy the Renaissance Neoplatonisms Plato, but not Platos political philosophy in general. It is grounded in primary sources and in careful dialogue with the wide world of Machiavellian scholarship. Highly recommended.

Bogiaris addresses an important and underrepresented area of Machiavelli studies, offering a compelling picture of Machiavellis engagement with Greek thought, including a number of helpful insights.

Author Bio

Guillaume Bogiaris is assistant professor of political science and philosophy at the University of West Alabama.