A Machiavellian reading of the Florentine’s works and the people’s role in democracy.
John P. McCormick, professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago, presents his book Reading Machiavelli: Scandalous Books, Suspect Engagements, & the Virtue of Populist Politics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2018). In conversation with Anne Ratnoff, Ph.D. student in French at Harvard University, McCormick discusses rehabilitating the notorious political philosopher’s image, how his reading of Machiavelli diverges from other influential schools, and how the Machiavellian model of representative democracy resonates with contemporary issues.