The Discourses - Niccolò Machiavelli

Few figures in intellectual history have proved as notorious and ambiguous as Niccolo 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 system of government that would uphold civic freedom and security by instilling the virtues of active citizenship, and that would also encourage citizens to put the needs of the state above selfish, personal interests. Ambitious in scope, but also clear-eyed and pragmatic, The Discourses creates a modern theory of republic politics. Leslie J. Walker's definitive translation has been revised by Brian Richardson and is accompanied by an introduction by Bernard Crick, which illuminates Machiavelli's historical context and his new theories of politics. This edition also includes suggestions for further reading and notes.

Published: 1983-10-27 (Penguin Classics)

ISBN: 9780140444285

Language: English

Format: Paperback, 544 pages

Goodreads' rating: -

Genres

Politics Classics Philosophy History Nonfiction

Reviews

Virgil rated it

If all you know of Machiavelli is The Prince, you're missing out- it's tragic that that short volume sums up Machiavelli's work in the minds of many. In his much longer, wide-ranging Discourses, Machiavelli lays down some of the most profound and influential political thinking ever committed to writing. Its influence on the American founding generation becomes clear on every page. I dive into this frequently when lamenting the current state of political discourse.I've read Machiavelli in a couple of other translations, but once I discovered the Mansfield I never looked back.

Sonnie rated it

In addition to the eminent and lucid introduction by Professor Mansfield, there are several other good reasons to choose his translation of the Discourses first of all I found it to have more clarity than the other translation I have read. This translation aims to stay faithful to Machiavellis original text, rendering it in a very readable English (as much as is possible with Machiavelli), and providing readers without knowledge of Italian with a more intimate knowledge of Machiavellis train of thought and unrelenting (if not always flawless) logic. The original punctuation is kept, and that actually makes it easier to read than other translations where the text has been "modernized". There is an annotated index (very practical in the Kindle format) and also a glossary and maps in addition to the notes, and the paragraphs are numbered for ease of reference.

Katusha rated it

Yes, you had to read The Prince, because your professor had to fit something of Machiavelli's into the class, and so she chose the shortest of his works to keep the students bitching to a minimum. The Prince represents a small subset of Machiavelli's concept of government. The recommendations from The Prince are a necessary evil that must be tolerated for a short time. The Discourses are a more substantial analysis of the preferred type of government for the long term. Thank your professor that she gave you more free time that semester for whatever it is you do with your free time, but curse her that she distorted your view of Machiavelli by recommending an extreme abbreviation of a much fuller concept. This is the same crap as when you just read the Grand Inquisitor and thought that you got everything of value out of the Brothers Karamavoz. The truth is you probably got the exact opposite of Dostoevsky's main theme. It is like reading literature in the same way that the bound prisoners in Plato's cave viewed the world- truncated.

Melina rated it

"Men are born and live and die in an order which remains ever the same."I almost would believe that these were written by the same author, because they're so fundamentally different. The Prince is more of a totalitarian, immediate do-this-or-die (metaphorically) ways to rule over the people. And as it was written for a Medici, that's almost not even surprising.The Discourses, on the other hand, is more about doing good by the people an respecting their wishes. Granted this book was written as an analysis of past governmental occurrences and not as a critic on how to govern currently (by Machiavelli time standards), but still, there is a stark contrast in the thoughts and views of the author.They're definitely best read back-to-back in order to get the full comparison.

Rowe rated it

While Niccolo Machiavelli is famous for his "evil" book, the Prince, I believe this is his real masterpiece. In this book, he tries to identify what can be called the "macro" foundations of a well working republic, and his source material is the historical comparison of the Roman Empire (from the books of Titus Livius) and contemporary cities and republics. The language of the book is very compelling, and it is usually hard to argue with anything in the book. I suggest this book to anyone interested in politics or political sciences, since there are not many books like this one. Also, it is a good exercise to compare this book with The Prince.