Tyranny: A New InterpretationThis is the first comprehensive exploration of ancient and modern tyranny in the history of political thought. Waller R. Newell argues that modern tyranny and statecraft differ fundamentally from the classical understanding. Newell demonstrates a historical shift in emphasis from the classical thinkers' stress on the virtuous character of rulers and the need for civic education to the modern emphasis on impersonal institutions and cold-blooded political method. By diagnosing the varieties of tyranny from erotic voluptuaries like Nero, the steely determination of reforming conquerors like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar and modernizing despots such as Napoleon and Ataturk to the collectivist revolutions of the Jacobins, Bolsheviks, Nazis and Khmer Rouge, Newell shows how tyranny is every bit as dangerous to free democratic societies today as it was in the past. |
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Contents
Is There an Ontology of Tyranny? | 26 |
The Primordial and the Transcendental as Fundamental | 32 |
The Tyrant and the Statesman in Platos Political | 81 |
Superlative Virtue Monarchy and Political Community | 141 |
The Claim of Superlative Virtue in the Debate about | 156 |
A Godlike Man in the City? | 162 |
Monarchy Reason and Nature | 169 |
Arendt on the Household and the Community | 180 |
Machiavellis Vision of the | 345 |
Virtue Necessity and Choice in the Founding of Cities | 351 |
The Cycle of Regimes | 363 |
The Republic Perfected by Chance | 383 |
The Rise and Fall of the New Rome | 406 |
Machiavelli and Religion | 419 |
Tyranny Ancient and Modern | 433 |
The Two Corridors to Modernity Dark and Light | 445 |
Tyranny and the Science of Ruling in Xenophons | 186 |
Cyruss Imperialistic Revolution | 199 |
The Peloponnesian War and the Thucydidean Context | 210 |
Machiavelli Xenophon and Xenophons Cyrus | 228 |
the Appeal to Antiquity | 257 |
The New Prince | 271 |
The Three Stages of Mastering Fortuna | 325 |
The Torture of Nature? | 456 |
The Phenomenology of Tyranny | 478 |
The Transition to Totalitarianism and the Will of | 498 |
The Hermeneutical Problem of Tyranny | 513 |
519 | |
537 | |
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achieve Alcibiades ambition ancient arguably argues Aristotle Aristotle’s art of household Athenian Augustine Augustinian avelli Bacon beneficent best regime Book Callicles chapter Christian Cicero citizens civic virtue claim classical conquest constitution contrast cosmos Cyrus’s depiction dialogues difficulty Diotima’s Discourses discussion distinction divine Education of Cyrus efficient empire eros erotic longing final find first Fortuna fortune Glaucon glory God’s Gorgias Hiero Hobbes Hobbes’s honor household management human nature imperial influence justice kind laws liberal Machi Machiavelli man’s master means modern tyranny monarchy moral nature’s Nicomachean Ethics noble observed one’s ontology passions Plato Plato and Aristotle polis political community political philosophy pre—Socratics primordial primordialist prince prudence psychology rational reason reflection Republic republican Roman Rome ruler Scipio secular self—government self—interest sense social contract Socrates Sophists soul Sparta specific statecraft statesmanship statesmen superlative virtue thinkers Thucydides thumos tion traditional transcendence tyrant virtuous whereas Xenophon