Publisher Description
Machiavelli wrote The Prince for his ruler as a guide for gaining and keeping power. Central themes of his essay are the relation between politics and ethics, what the best form of government consists of; the importance of the Church, and the growth of Italy as a nation-state. The word "Machiavellian" often suggests sinister motives, but some scholars question this traditional interpretation.
Bo├®tie wrote Discourse on Voluntary Servitude in sixteenth-century France during the birth of the nation-state, the rise of absolute monarchy, and intense religious and civil wars. He examines the psychology of political obedience, the structure and specific mechanisms of state authority, the motives of those who obey and those who command, and the phenomenon of obedience in the absence of force.
The Giants of Political Thought series is an easy and entertaining way to broaden your mind and your awareness of great ideas.
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About the Authors
George H. Smith is an author, editor, educator, and speaker. His first book was the very popular Atheism: The Case against God. Smith began teaching in the 1970s and for nearly twenty years spent his summers instructing university students in political philosophy and American political and intellectual history at seminars sponsored by the Cato Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies. His many articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including Reason, the New York Times, and the Journal of Libertarian Studies.
Joseph Stromberg is a research fellow at the Independent Institute and has held the JoAnn B. Rothbard chair in history at the Ludwig von Mises Institute. He received his BA and MA from Florida Atlantic University, and his further graduate work was completed at the University of Florida.
About the Narrators
George H. Smith is an author, editor, educator, and speaker. His first book was the very popular Atheism: The Case against God. Smith began teaching in the 1970s and for nearly twenty years spent his summers instructing university students in political philosophy and American political and intellectual history at seminars sponsored by the Cato Institute and the Institute for Humane Studies. His many articles and book reviews have appeared in a wide range of publications, including Reason, the New York Times, and the Journal of Libertarian Studies.
Paul Meier, MD, is a psychiatrist
at the Meier Clinics in Richardson, Texas, and the author of more than
eighty books, including Love Is a Choice, Happiness Is a Choice, Blue
Genes, and Everything I Learned Since I Knew It All. He has appeared
on hundreds of radio and television programs over the past thirty years,
including shows with Oprah, Tom Snyder, Norman Vincent Peale, Joyce Meyer,
Sheila Walsh, Paula White, and many others. He is also the founder of the
national chain of counseling clinics called the Meier Clinics, a nonprofit
corporation.