Lexington Books Civilization and Self-Government: The Political Thought of Carlo Cattaneo

Civilization and Self-Government is the first systematic attempt to explicitly articulate the key elements of Carlo Cattaneo's pioneering attempt to advance freedom and self-government in nineteenth-century Europe. His public science combined two elements that constitute the two parts of this book: the study of incivilimento, and the art and science of self-governance. Cattaneo argued that people have to learn the arts of incivilimento before they can practice self-governance. Though a distinguishing feature of Italian political thought has been to stress the multiform nature of political rule, it was Cattaneo who first showed that it was possible, through a federal commercial republic, to harmonize and foster liberty, equality, and heterogeneity. Characteristically, he envisioned a federal commercial republic for Europe as well. Cattaneo's ideas recast, enrich, and broaden knowledge of the history of European thought beyond that generally available in English and French.This book reveals a strong affinity between Cattaneo's and Tocqueville's spirit and vision. Review Carlo Cattaneo has been a neglected thinker in the English speaking world. And Cattaneo's project, the creation of a public science that can serve as a public philosophy for modern civilization, has been a neglected project (though less so recently). This book makes a powerful case that this has been a mistake. It corrects our view of our intellectual past, and makes its own important contribution to that public science of 'civilization and self-government, ' whose great 19th century masters were Cattaneo, Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill.--Karol Soltan, University of Maryland Filippo Sabetti has produced a beautifully-written and richly-researched study of one of the major, if largely unknown, political thinkers of nineteenth-century Italy. In recovering the thought of Carlo Cattaneo, he not only takes us to the heart of debates about the causes of freedom and self-government but also deepens and revises our understanding of the broader traditions of liberalism and republicanism. Anyone interested in the intellectual history of Europe, and not only Italy, should read this book.--Jeremy Jennings, Queen Mary, University of London To all who are devoted to developing a firm intellectual foundation for the design of self-governing societies, I strongly recommend Filippo Sabetti's new book on the political thought of Carlo Cattaneo. Most of us want to support civilizations that are foundational for democracy, but Cattaneo recognized the deep challenges. Sabetti helps the modern reader take hold of the past so as to improve the future.--Elinor Ostrom, Indiana University, Bloomington and 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize Winner About the Author Filippo Sabetti is professor of political science at McGill University.