![]() ![]() Originally, Plato elaborated an interpretation of tyranny which remained canonical in classical political thought: in his powerful representation, the tyrant was characterized by a misguided love for material pleasures this left the door open to a possible "redemption" through a philosophical education capable of redirecting his eros towards moral and civic virtue. Newell's main contention is that tyranny (and the understanding of it) underwent a dramatic change at the beginning of modernity, with such authors as Machiavelli, Bacon, and Hobbes. His purpose-as the subtitle of the book reads-is to provide a new interpretation of a historical and practical occurrence, the appearance of tyrannical regimes at many stages of human history. What immediately strikes the reader is Newell's attempt to combine a highly theoretical philosophical approach (strongly influenced by Heidegger and Leo Strauss) with an attention to political reality, including contemporary events, concerning the phenomenon of tyranny. ![]() Newell has written a very dense and rich work on the "dark side" of politics, namely, the regime which has defined evil in politics since the inception of political theory: tyranny. (Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2013. ![]()
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