| As If God Existed: Religion and Liberty in the History of Italy Religion and liberty are often thought to be mutual enemies: if religion has a natural ally, it is authoritarianism--not republicanism or democracy. But in this book, Maurizio Viroli, a leading historian of republican political thought, challenges this conventional wisdom. He argues that political emancipation and the defense of political liberty have always required the self-sacrifice of people with religious sentiments and a religious devotion to liberty. This is particularly the case when liberty is threatened by authoritarianism: the staunchest defenders of liberty are those who feel a deeply religious commitment to it. Maurizio Viroli is the author of numerous works in political theory and of a study of Machiavelli's political philosophy. A professor of politics at Princeton University, he lives in Princeton, New Jersey, and Forli, Italy. (Bowker Author Biography) |