{"product_id":"wily-elites-and-spirited-peoples-in-machiavellis-republicanism-9780739186404","title":"Wily Elites and Spirited Peoples in Machiavellis","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this book, author David N. Levy uses Machiavelliâs conflict between the elite and the people as the lens through which to understand the other major features of his republicanism. Through analyzing his Discourses on Livy, Levy shows that Machiavelliâs principles can provide support for, and constructive criticism of, modern liberal democracy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Wily Elites and Spirited Peoples in Machiavelli’s Republicanism, Levy focuses chiefly on the Discourses and argues against the common readings in which Machiavelli is a mere way station on the path of historical progress toward contemporary liberalism. Rather than being an atavism, Levy argues, Machiavelli's thought offers an alternative to contemporary liberalism that partakes of both elitism and populism. Liberty, in Levy's Machiavelli, originates in conflict between the classes named in the title. The appendix of the book, which defends the non-historicist approach to Machiavelli, is particularly valuable, as it gently (yet thoughtfully) addresses some difficulties in the historicist approach to the history of philosophy characteristic of Quentin Skinner and R. G. Collingwood. Both the appendix and the main text of Levy’s book deserve scholarly attention. Levy’s book is recommended for readers at all levels. The accessible way in which he has written it will make it particularly valuable for undergraduate students of Machiavelli, and the appendix might well be assigned in its own right. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *\u003cbr\u003eDavid Levy provides a lucid and concise analysis of Machiavelli’s republicanism. His arguments are well supported by textual evidence. . . .His sound interpretation may serve as a sobering corrective to such recent renderings of Machiavelli as a democrat, a rhetorician, a Socratic moral philosopher, and a Christian prophet. * The Review of Politics *\u003cbr\u003eI appreciate Levy's overall ambition to forge an interpretive alternative to historicism. . . .Levy's book is a smart and engaging contribution to the voluminous secondary literature on Machiavelli. It stands apart for its readability and lucidity, and would make an excellent addition to an undergraduate seminar syllabus. For students working through Machiavelli's texts, and the industry of commentary on these texts, Levy provides an excellent introduction. More advanced readers and specialists will also find much to admire and appreciate. He brings fresh insight to Machiavelli's highly original account of the few and the many and its implications for our political theory and practice. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *\u003cbr\u003e[This book] is highly recommended for all students and interpreters of Machiavelli. . . .One of the most striking successes of Levy’s work is that he engages with some of the most significant and distinguished interpretations of Machiavelli. . . .Levy’s book provokes thought about the meaning and importance of Machiavelli’s teaching for contemporary democratic thought. * Interpretation *\u003cbr\u003eDavid Levy’s Wily Elites and Spirited Peoples offers fresh insight into Machiavelli's singular conception of the few and the many, and the respective roles that elites and the people should play in the politics of republics. Levy manages to stay true to Machiavelli's writings and to draw insights from them for contemporary liberal democracy. -- John P. McCormick, University of Chicago and author of \"Machiavellian Democracy\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction: Returning to Machiavelli\t \t\t\t\t Chapter 1: From Class Conflict, Liberty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Chapter 2: War, Empire and Democracy\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Chapter 3: Corruption: Its Causes, Uses and Remedies\t\t\t\t\t Chapter 4: The Princely Republic\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Chapter 5: Conclusion\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Appendix: Machiavelli and the Question of Perennial Problems   \t\t\t Bibliography","brand":"Lexington Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51037536682327,"sku":"9780739186404","price":82.8,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780739186404.jpg?v=1750936147","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/wily-elites-and-spirited-peoples-in-machiavellis-republicanism-9780739186404","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}