Italy is a country of free political institutions, yet it has
become a nation of servile courtesans, with Silvio Berlusconi as
their prince. This is the controversial argument that Italian
political philosopher and noted Machiavelli biographer Maurizio
Viroli puts forward in "The Liberty of Servants." Drawing upon the
classical republican conception of liberty, Viroli shows that a
people can be unfree even though they are not oppressed. This
condition of unfreedom arises as a consequence of being subject to
the arbitrary or enormous power of men like Berlusconi, who
presides over Italy with his control of government and the media,
immense wealth, and infamous lack of self-restraint.
Challenging our most cherished notions about liberty, Viroli
argues that even if a power like Berlusconi's has been established
in the most legitimate manner and people are not denied their basic
rights, the mere existence of such power makes those subject to it
unfree. Most Italians, following the lead of their elites, lack the
minimal moral qualities of free people, such as respect for the
Constitution, the willingness to obey laws, and the readiness to
discharge civic duties. As Viroli demonstrates, they exhibit
instead the characteristics of servility, including flattery, blind
devotion to powerful men, an inclination to lie, obsession with
appearances, imitation, buffoonery, acquiescence, and docility.
Accompanying these traits is a marked arrogance that is apparent
among not only politicians but also ordinary citizens.
General
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