Machiavelli in Context - The Great Courses

Written by The Great Courses
Read by Professor William R. Cook
Format: MP3
Unabridged

Mention the name Niccolò Machiavelli and you might unleash a powerful response - even among people who have never read a word of his writing. The word “Machiavellian” conjures up images of an indistinct figure quietly making his way through the darkest corridors of power; a cold-blooded political liar; or a coolly practical leader - amoral at best - willing to do whatever is necessary in a world governed not by ideas of right or wrong, but by solutions dictated by realpolitik.
But do these images bear any actual resemblance to the Machiavelli who lived, pondered, and wrote? In these 24 enlightening lectures, Professor Cook offers the opportunity to meet an extraordinarily thoughtful and sincere student of history and its lessons. You’ll look beyond the sinister interpretations or caricatures of his writings and beliefs and get at the truth of this important Renaissance figure.
You’ll discover, perhaps surprisingly, that Machiavelli believed in the superiority of a republican form of government; he wanted to live in a free and equal participatory society and influenced the development of institutions and values both in Europe and in America.
With a focus on The Prince, Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy, and, more briefly, his Florentine Histories, Professor Cook moves easily among the different disciplines so pertinent to an understanding of Machiavelli’s ideas, including history, philosophy, government, and the elements of leadership. The result is a thorough grounding in the information one needs to understand and appreciate this stunningly original thinker.

NOTE: The accompanying reference material is available as a PDF.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
01 Who Is Machiavelli? Why Does He Matter?
02 Machiavelli’s Florence
03 Classical Thought in Renaissance Florence
04 The Life of Niccolò Machiavelli
05 Why Did Machiavelli Write The Prince?
06 The Prince, 1–5—Republics Old and New
07 The Prince, 6–7—Virtù and Fortuna
08 The Prince, 8–12—The Prince and Power
09 The Prince, 13–16—The Art of Being a Prince
10 The Prince, 17–21—The Lion and the Fox
11 The Prince, 21–26—Fortune and Foreigners
12 Livy, the Roman Republic, and Machiavelli
13 Discourses—Why Machiavelli Is a Republican
14 Discourses—The Workings of a Good Republic
15 Discourses—Lessons from Rome
16 Discourses—A Principality or a Republic?
17 Discourses—The Qualities of a Good Republic
18 Discourses—A Republic at War
19 Discourses—Can Republics Last?
20 Discourses—Conspiracies and Other Dangers
21 Florentine Histories—The Growth of Florence
22 Florentine Histories—The Age of the Medici
23 The Fate of Machiavelli’s Works
24 Was Machiavelli a Machiavellian?