Description: After exploring the theory and practice of politics in ancient China, ancient India, and modern Europe, Scharfstein argues that the justification for deception and force is inseparable from political life and assesses the chances for a better political future.
Brief description: Ben-Ami Scharfstein is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Tel-Aviv University. He is the author of eleven books, including Amoral Politics: The Persistent Truth of Machiavellism and Ineffability: The Failure of Words in Philosophy and Religion, both published by SUNY Press.
Review Quotes:
"The author has done some groundbreaking work, particularly in showing Machiavellism in widely diverse places and historic times and, refreshingly, looked at from very different intellectual perspectives. What I like most about the book is its daring scholarship, entering and seriously operating in the domains of philosophy, political science, and history, as well as psychology, sociology, and anthropology." -- Fred E. Katz, author of Ordinary People and Extraordinary Evil