Post Tagged 'machiavelli'

April 23, 2026

American Prometheus

In Rockefeller Center stands the famous statue of Prometheus, the benefactor of mankind, bringing fire from heaven. In Hesiod’s telling, Prometheus is accompanied by Pandora; while Prometheus brings art and learning, she brings all the pains and travails of life, slamming the lid of her famous box before hope can escape. Continue Reading...

March 25, 2026

Harvey Mansfield’s Rational Control

It’s difficult to avoid terms such as “legendary” and “distinguished” when referring to Harvey Mansfield’s long career at Harvard University. Of course, his reputation is based on more than his famous resistance to grade inflation or his barbed criticisms of Harvard. Continue Reading...

February 06, 2026

John Locke on the “Iron Laws of the World”

On January 5 in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN, Stephen Miller, deputy chief of staff to president Donald Trump, defended the administration’s alarming embrace of military intervention in Venezuela and imperialistic aspirations more broadly on the global stage: The United States of America is running Venezuela. Continue Reading...

November 05, 2009

Machiavelli, the Prince, and the Tradition of Liberty

Machiavelli’s succinct and semi-diabolical advice to the prince is one of the most enduring works of political philosophy in the world. This man, writing in a time roughly contemporaneous with the Reformation, was less concerned with seeking the will of God than with winning at all costs. Continue Reading...