In this episode we look at Machiavelli is one of those names that has turned into an adjective. To call someone “Machiavellian” is to accuse them of cold, calculating ruthlessness.

But that label hides something important: in John Plamenatz’s reading, Machiavelli is not simply a theorist of tyranny but the first great modern analyst of power, freedom, and the state who stands outsidethe theological tradition that preceded him.