Michael Anton’s Straussian Take on Machiavelli Sparks Debate Over Hidden Meanings

Michael Anton’s freshly released collection of essays offers a Straussian reinterpretation of Machiavelli, focusing on alleged concealed religious motives and numerological structures within *The Prince* and *Discourses*. Addressing an audience of fellow Straussians—including Tom West, Harvey Mansfield, Leo Paul de Alvarez, and the legacy of Leo Strauss—Anton also surveys thinkers such as Montesquieu, Plato, Xenophon and one outlet paper authors.

His method hinges on the assumption that readers accept his hermeneutic premises, leading to claims like the significance of the word “lord” or the repeated appearance of “mercenary” as evidence of a hidden “spiritual warfare” agenda. While some insights, particularly his reading of Machiavelli’s attitudes toward conquest, are praised for depth, many argue his numerical analyses verge on conjecture. A notable chapter critiques contemporary “neoliberal globalism,” asserting it is mislabeled socialism and harms middle-class workers while enriching global elites. Overall, the work provokes discussion about the limits of Straussian exegesis and the relevance of such readings to modern political discourse.