Machiavelli

This book presents a critical examination of Machiavelli''s thought combining an accessible historically-informed account of his work with a reassessment of his central ideas and arguments. Viroli challenges the accepted interpretations of Machiavelli''s work insisting that his republicanism was based not on a commitment to virtue greatness and expansion but to the ideal of civic life protected by the shield of fair laws. His detailed study of how Machiavelli composed The Prince offers a number of new interpretations and he further contends that the most challenging--and underestimated--aspect of Machiavelli''s thought is his philosophy of life in particular his conceptions of love women irony God and the human condition.