Amoral Politics

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.This is a study of how and why politics is amoral. It deals especially with what the author terms Machiavellism-the disregard of moral scruples for political ends that leads to the justification and use of deception and force in all aspects of political life. A comparative cultural study, it examines the theory and practice of politics in ancient China, ancient India, Renaissance Italy, and modern Europe, as well as tribal cultures, in order to test how widespread such political amorality has been throughout history.>Ben-Ami Scharfstein is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Tel-Aviv University. He is the author of The Philosophers: Their Lives and the Nature of Their Thought; Of Birds, Beasts, and Other Artists: An Essay on the Universality of Art; The Dilemma of Context; and Ineffability: The Failure of Words in Philosophy and Religion, also published by SUNY Press.