University of Notre Dame Press Machiavelli, Leonardo, and the Science of Power (Frank M. Covey, Jr., Loyola Lectures in Political Analysis)

In recent years, Niccolò Machiavelli's works have been viewed primarily with historical interest as analysis of the tactics used by immoral political officials. Roger D. Masters, a leading expert in the relationship between modern natural sciences and politics, argues boldly in this book that Machiavelli should be reconsidered as a major philosopher whose thought makes the wisdom of antiquity accessible to the modern (and post-modern) condition, and whose understanding of human nature is superior to that of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, or Mill. Central to Masters's claim is his discovery, based on previously untranslated documents, that Machiavelli knew and worked with Leonardo da Vinci between 1502-1507. An interdisciplinary tour de force, Machiavelli, Leonardo, and the Science of Power will challenge, perplex, and ultimately delight readers with its evocative story of the relationship between Machiavelli and da Vinci, their crucial roles in the emergence of modernity, and the vast implications this holds for contemporary life and society. Review "Roger Masters finds that the two men of genius collaborated on a Florentine project to divert the course of the river Arno and leave rival Pisa without water. Masters postulates, with good reason, that two such aggressively innovative thinkers must have exchanged more than their views on water channels, and suggests provocatively that Machiavelli's notoriously objective analysis of power shows traces of Leonardo's science." -- The New York Review of Books-- "The New York Review of Books" From the Author Scientific reasons to go back to Machiavelli Machiavelli's political theory continues to fascinate (and annoy) readers. This study situates Machiavelli's theories in the light of his cooperation with Leonardo da Vinci (generally unknown), suggests how to read his major works, and surveys modern scientific evidence in favor of Machiavelli's theory of human nature. Given the revolution in modern biology, I argue that Machiavellian realism provides an important corrective to ideologies of the left and right. From the Back Cover In recent years, Niccolo Machiavelli's works have been viewed primarily with historical interest as analyses of the tactics used by immoral political officials. Roger D. Masters, a leading expert in the relationship between modern natural science and politics, boldly argues in this book that Machiavelli should be reconsidered as a major philosopher whose thought makes the wisdom of antiquity accessible to the modern (and post-modern) condition, and whose understanding of human nature is superior to that of such moderns as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, or Mill. Central to Master's claim is his discovery, based in previously untranslated documents, that Machiavelli knew and worked with Leonardo da Vinci between 1502 and 1507. An interdisciplinary tour de force, Machiavelli, Leonardo, and the Science of Power will challenge, perplex, and ultimately delight most readers with its evocative story of the relationship between Machiavelli and da Vinci, their crucial roles in the emergence of modernity, and the vast implications this holds for contemporary life and society. About the Author Roger D. Masters is Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government, Emeritus, at Dartmouth College.