Replacing Machiavelli with Francesco Patrizi
- patricklewisbaker
- Apr 30
- 1 min read
Updated: Oct 15
In this podcast interview, Prof. Hankins joins Ryan Hammill and Jonathan Roberts of the Ancient Language Institute to discuss his book Political Meritocracy in Renaissance Italy, which focuses on the life and thought of Francesco Patrizi of Siena (1413–1494). Although Niccolò Machiavelli is often held up as the paradigmatic political philosopher, Hankins argues that he is in fact an outlier. Instead, it is Patrizi and his focus on virtue that are emblematic of Renaissance thought.