{"title":"Catherine H. Zuckert","description":"\u003cp\u003eCatherine H. Zuckert's works explore the intricate relationship between philosophy and politics, offering deep insights into the ideas of thinkers like Machiavelli and Leo Strauss. Her writing invites readers to engage with the foundations of political theory and the enduring questions about truth and power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in a profound understanding of both classical and contemporary thought, Zuckert's books challenge readers to reconsider familiar political concepts through a philosophical lens. Her scholarship is essential for anyone interested in the crossroads of philosophy, political ideas, and current affairs.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"machiavellis-politics-by-catherine-h-zuckert-9780226434803","title":"Machiavelli's Politics","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eMachiavelli\u003c\/i\u003e is popularly known as a teacher of tyrants, a key proponent of the unscrupulous “Machiavellian” politics laid down in his landmark political treatise \u003ci\u003eThe Prince\u003c\/i\u003e. Others cite the \u003ci\u003eDiscourses on Livy\u003c\/i\u003e to argue that Machiavelli is actually a passionate advocate of republican politics who saw the need for occasional harsh measures to maintain political order.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhich best characterises the teachings of the prolific Italian philosopher? With \u003ci\u003eMachiavelli’s Politics\u003c\/i\u003e, Catherine H. Zuckert turns this question on its head with a major reinterpretation of Machiavelli’s prose works that reveals a surprisingly cohesive view of politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStarting with Machiavelli’s two major political works, Zuckert persuasively shows that the moral revolution Machiavelli sets out in \u003ci\u003eThe Prince\u003c\/i\u003e lays the foundation for the new form of democratic republic he proposes in the \u003ci\u003eDiscourses\u003c\/i\u003e. Distrusting ambitious politicians to serve the public interest of their own accord, Machiavelli sought to persuade them in \u003ci\u003eThe Prince\u003c\/i\u003e that the best way to achieve their own ambitions was to secure the desires and ambitions of their subjects and fellow citizens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the \u003ci\u003eDiscourses\u003c\/i\u003e, he then describes the types of laws and institutions that would balance the conflict between the two in a way that would secure the liberty of most, if not all. In the second half of her book, Zuckert places selected later works—\u003ci\u003eLa Mandragola, The Art of War, The Life of Castruccio Castracani, Clizia,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFlorentine Histories\u003c\/i\u003e—under scrutiny, showing how Machiavelli further developed certain aspects of his thought in these works. In \u003ci\u003eThe Art of War\u003c\/i\u003e, for example, he explains more concretely how and to what extent the principles of organisation he advanced in \u003ci\u003eThe Prince\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eDiscourses\u003c\/i\u003e ought to be applied in modern circumstances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBecause human beings act primarily on passions, Machiavelli attempts to show readers what those passions are and how they can be guided to have productive rather than destructive results.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA stunning and ambitious analysis, \u003ci\u003eMachiavelli’s Politics\u003c\/i\u003e brilliantly shows how many conflicting perspectives do inform Machiavelli’s teachings, but that one needs to consider all of his works in order to understand how they cohere into a unified political view. This is a magisterial work that cannot be ignored if a comprehensive understanding of the philosopher is to be obtained.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47000677908716,"sku":"9780226434803","price":91.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/16576313482268.jpg?v=1763295764"},{"product_id":"the-truth-about-leo-strauss-by-catherine-h-zuckert-9780226993331","title":"The Truth about Leo Strauss","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs Leo Strauss truly an intellectual forebear of neoconservatism and a powerful force in shaping Bush administration foreign policy? \u003cem\u003eThe Truth about Leo Strauss\u003c\/em\u003e puts this question to rest, revealing for the first time how the popular media came to perpetuate an oversimplified view of a complex and wide-ranging philosopher. In doing so, it corrects our perception of Strauss, providing the best general introduction available to the political thought of this misunderstood figure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCatherine and Michael Zuckert—both former students of Strauss—guide readers here to a nuanced understanding of how Strauss’s political thought fits into his broader philosophy. Challenging the ideas that Strauss was an inflexible conservative who followed in the footsteps of Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Carl Schmitt, the Zuckerts contend that Strauss’s signature idea was the need for a return to the ancients. Through their work, they conclude that Strauss was a sober defender of liberal democracy, aware of both its strengths and its weaknesses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBalanced and accessible, \u003cem\u003eThe Truth about Leo Strauss\u003c\/em\u003e is a must-read for anyone who wants to more fully comprehend this enigmatic philosopher and his much-disputed legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Truth about Leo Strauss\u003c\/em\u003e is the most balanced and insightful book yet written about Strauss’s thought, students, and political influence. It dispels myths promulgated by both friends and foes and persuasively traces the conflicting paths that American thinkers indebted to Strauss have taken.” —William Galston, Brookings Institution\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47600526131436,"sku":"9780226993331","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/fb6c2ea48aea249329580fd48dcfed75.jpg?v=1778020187"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/catherine-h-zuckert.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}