Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 482 9 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 The interplay between violence, religion, and politics is a central problem for societies and has attracted the attention of important philosophers, including Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, and René Girard. Centuries earlier during the Italian Renaissance, these same problems drew the interest of Niccolò Machiavelli. In Not Even a God Can Save Us Now, Brian Harding argues that Machi- avelli’s work anticipates – and often illuminates – contemporary theories on the place of violence in our lives. While remaining cognizant of the historical and cultural context of Machiavelli’s writings, Harding develops Machiavelli’s accounts of sacrifice, truth, religion, and violence and places them in conversa- tion with those of more contemporary thinkers. Including in-depth discus- sions of Machiavelli’s works The Prince and Discourses on Livy, as well as his Florentine Histories, The Art of War, and other less widely discussed works, Harding interprets Machiavelli as endorsing sacrificial violence that founds or preserves a state, while censuring other forms of violence. This reading clari- fies a number of obscure themes in Machiavelli’s writings, and demonstrates how similar themes are at work in the thought of recent phenomenologists. The first book to approach both Machiavellian and contemporary conti- nental thought in this way, Not Even a God Can Save Us Now is a highly original and provocative approach to both the history of philosophy and to contemporary debates about violence, religion, and politics. Brian Harding is associate professor of philosophy at Texas Woman’s University. In this fascinating look at the philosophy of self-esteem, Richard Keshen de- velops and defends the idea of reasonable self-esteem – a concept based on an ideal of reasonableness – and argues that individuals who think of themselves in terms of this paradigm will lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Keshen presents a set of guidelines for analyzing self-esteem and examines various factors that influence our self-esteem, such as other people’s evalua- tions, comparisons with others, social relationships, and inherent qualities. He asserts that self-esteem not founded on individual achievement leads to a continual search for external supports and is easily shaken when such sup- ports are not found. A key element of Keshen’s argument is the idea of egali- tarian respect, and he shows how we can integrate this idea into our lives. Reasonable Self-Esteem demonstrates the attraction of a life in which rea- sonableness is a central commitment. It will appeal to those with an interest in philosophy, ethics, and moral psychology and is essential reading for those concerned with self-esteem. “A splendid achievement. Keshen has unravelled the presuppositions of reasonable self-esteem, illustrated them by well-chosen examples, and woven them together with tight moral reasoning in order to produce a persuasive and most appealing answer to an ancient but vital question: How must I live, if I am to think well of myself? This is an original work, informed by a humane and optimistic view of life. It draws together the ideas of living well and living with concern for others. It does much to restore wisdom and knowledge of everyday human psychology to their proper place in moral philosophy.” Peter Singer, Princeton University Richard Keshen is professor emeritus of philosophy at Cape Breton University and a member of the Common Room at Wolfson College at Oxford University. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S May 2017 978-0-7735-5071-1 $29.95A CDN, $29.95A US, £25.99 paper 6 x 9 240pp eBook available S P E C I F I C AT I O N S McGill-Queen’s Studies in the History of Ideas June 2017 978-0-7735-5051-3 $34.95A CDN, $34.95A US, £29.99 paper 978-0-7735-5050-6 $110.00S CDN, $110.00S US, £95.00 cloth 6 x 9 256pp eBook available Not Even a God Can Save Us Now Reading Machiavelli after Heidegger brian harding A lively interpretation of Machiavelli’s thought, applied to contemporary philosophy. P H I L O S O P H Y • P S Y C H O L O G Y P H I L O S O P H Y • P O L I T I C A L S T U D I E S Reasonable Self-Esteem A Life of Meaning Second Edition richard keshen With a new preface by the author A philosophical investigation of the moral ideal of reasonable self-esteem.