Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Ni
ccolo Machiavelli. But while his treatise "The Prince" made his name synonymous
with autocratic ruthlessness and cynical manipulation, "The Discourses" (c.1517)
shows a radically different outlook on the world of politics.In this carefully
argued commentary on Livy's history of republican Rome, Machiavelli proposed a s
ystem of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling t
he virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put
the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, bu
t also clear-eyed and pragmatic, "The Discourses" creates a modern theory of rep
ublic politics.
