Hume and Machiavelli

by Frederick G. Whelan

"While it may seem at first glance that Machiavellian philosophy - often synonymous with brutal, deceptive rule - is incongruous with Hume's liberal thought, Frederick G. Whelan provides a real point of convergence between the two. Although there are myraid references to Machiavelli's work within Hume's writing, a deeper connection between these seminal thinkers has never been fully explored. Whelan uncovers extensive Machiavellian dimensions throughout Hume's work, illustrating numerous parallels in both theorists' treatments of such issues as human nature, historical method, and political ethics. While at first such a comparison may be startling, Whelan argues that Hume's writing, commonly regarded as moderate and amiable, is indeed a locus of realist liberal political theory."--BOOK JACKET.