Machiavellian Ontology

The twentieth century was the century of the deconstruction of all absolutes: of liberation understood as a critique of every meaningful structure. In this sense, conflict was understood as an instrument of the rupture of every form, institution and community. Niccol Machiavelli is the first in our tradition to think about the productivity of political conflict its capacity, on the model of ancient Rome, to construct new orders, institutions and forms of life. Francesco Marchesi offers an original reading of Machiavellian thought as well as a critique of some of the most influential contemporary theories of conflict including Foucault, Schmitt, Arendt, Lacan and Althusser. In doing so, he proposes an innovative, conflictual political ontology that, with Machiavelli, is capable of conceiving the affirmative, and not only deconstructive, power of conflict.

Author Biography

Francesco Marchesi is Professor of History of Political Philosophy in the Department of Civilization and Forms of Knowledge at the University of Pisa. His main research areas are Renaissance and contemporary political thought. His books are: Ritorno ai princìpi (Carocci, 2022), Geometria del conflitto (Quodlibet, 2020), Cartografia politica (Olshki, 2018), Riscontro. Pratica politica e congiuntura storica in Niccolò Machiavelli (Quodlibet, 2017). Dave Mesing is Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Villanova University