Book contents
- Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy
- Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Contest between Homer and Plato and the Homeric Education on the Gods
- 2 The Homeric Education in Human Excellence
- 3 Plato’s Critique of the Homeric Education
- 4 Homer and Machiavelli on Education and Human Excellence
- 5 Nietzsche on the Contest between Homer and Plato
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - Homer and Machiavelli on Education and Human Excellence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 August 2022
- Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy
- Homer and the Tradition of Political Philosophy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 The Contest between Homer and Plato and the Homeric Education on the Gods
- 2 The Homeric Education in Human Excellence
- 3 Plato’s Critique of the Homeric Education
- 4 Homer and Machiavelli on Education and Human Excellence
- 5 Nietzsche on the Contest between Homer and Plato
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Machiavelli criticizes Plato’s explicit celebration of the contemplative philosophic life over the active political life as harmful both to politics and to philosophy, he praises Homer as an effective teacher of political leaders or "princes," and he follows the example of Homer by hiding his own philosophic life under the guise of one who exclusively leads and admires the active political life. Machiavelli, however, responding to the Platonic and also Christian legacy of radically depreciating the political life during his own times, departs from Homer’s portrayal of the political life of virtue as tragic and therefore pointing beyond itself to the contemplative philosophic life, by portraying the political life of virtue, if properly understood, as one that leads to happiness and therefore does not so clearly point beyond itself to the contemplative philosophic life.
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- Homer and the Tradition of Political PhilosophyEncounters with Plato, Machiavelli, and Nietzsche, pp. 194 - 246Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022