Tuesday evening, March 31st, 2026, 20:00 (European Central Time): Machiavelli and Machiavellianism

Location: The Hague, the Netherlands [exact address will be provided after registration]

This evening we dive into the works of the renaissance thinker Niccolò Machiavelli who wrote Il Principe and the Discorsi. Machiavelli is often seen as the thinker who started modern political theory. According to Harvey Mansfield ’The Prince is the most famous book on politics ever written’’. Based on Machiavelli’s works, machiavellianism was developed in the centuries after him which was heavily criticized by personalistic thinkers such as Jacques Maritain.

We will study both Machiavelli’s Il Principe and the critique of Maritain on his political thought.

To participate in this course, you are invited to read Il Principe (recommended translation by H. Mansfield) and this essay of Jacques Maritain on Machiavellianism.

Registration for the course
You can register by filling out this form:
www.institutecp.com/registration-1-2

The course is free. You are welcome to make a small donation to support the work of the ICP.

Institute for Christian Personalism
The Institute for Christian Personalism (ICP) is an independent foundation founded in 2024, dedicated to educating and promoting Christian Personalism. This philosophical tradition places the human person at the center of reflection on anthropology, political philosophy, pedagogy, and the arts. Drawing primarily from Catholic and broader Christian thinkers such as Augustine, Maritain, Guardini, John Paul II, and others, the ICP explores how personalist thought has shaped European institutions and the common good. Through lectures, summer schools, essays, podcasts, and books, it offers intellectual formation and leadership development to an ecumenical audience in Europe and the United States.

www.institutecp.com/courses