Montesquieu’s (Anti-)Machiavellianism
Ordinary Acquisitiveness in The Spirit of Laws
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10185562 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Randal R Hendrickson (Film Independent, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 75 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 385-396 |
| Publication date | 2013-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-3816 • E-ISSN: 1468-2508 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s002238161300008x |
| OpenAlex | W2041448482 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
This article dwells on what ways Montesquieu’s transformative thought can be understood as an adaptation of Machiavelli’s philosophy of aggrandizement. It turns especially on the question of ordinary acquisitiveness, which Montesquieu is glad to find flourishing in a world cured of Machiavellianism. But he is no simple Anti-Machiavel. Joining Machiavelli in excusing worldly acquisitiveness and facing its obstacles, Montesquieu departs from his predecessor on behalf of the ordinary individual whose wish to improve his lot in life the philosophe favors and whose security is among his first concerns. Beginning from Machiavelli’s beginnings, Montesquieu moves from the grand acquirer to the ordinary and here takes Machiavellianism to a liberal conclusion. This is Montesquieu’s (anti-)Machiavellianism
Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Flourishing · Machiavellianism · Personality · Psychopathy · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence · Psychology · Social Psychology
The Foundations of Modern Political Thought
Thoughts on Machiavelli
The Riddle of the Modern World
The Greek Tradition in Republican Thought
Montesquieu's Philosophy of Liberalism
The Cloaking of Power
Cicero's De Officiis and Machiavelli's Prince
Montesquieu's anti-Machiavellian Machiavellianism
Virtue, Commerce, and the Enduring Florentine Republican Moment
Virtù and the Example of Agathocles in Machiavelli's Prince
Machiavelli's Unchristian Charity
Montesquieu, la république et le commerce
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |