Not Even a God Can Save Us Now

"Machiavelli is rarely discussed in depth by philosophers working in what is commonly called 'continental philosophy, ' but which with more accuracy might be called post-Heideggerian philosophy. Likewise, few scholars working on Machiavelli attempt to engage post-Heideggerian philosophy. Both tendencies, Brian Harding believes, are lamentable, since many of the problems that engage major figures in the continental tradition also engaged Machiavelli: themes such as the relationship between violence, religion and politics; the origin or foundations of authority; the relationship between philosophy and politics; and the critique or overcoming of Platonism. He suggests that a careful reading of Machiavelli in dialogue with at least some post-Heideggerian philosophers (Heidegger himself, Jacques Derrida, and René Girard) will shed more light on these themes than either Machiavelli or those post-Heideggerian philosophers could in isolation. His book is an attempt at exactly such cross-pollination. Instead of looking at Machiavelli from the usual standpoint of political philosophy, it concentrates on such topics as Machiavelli's discussion of the debate about the world's eternity, the rol