Full of Blood and Ferocity: St. Augustine and Niccolò Machiavelli on the Politics of Ritual Sacrifice

• In Event: Religion and Political Concepts

Brief Overview

This paper examines Augustine and Machiavelli on the impact of ritual sacrifice on political psychology. While both writers agree that such sacrifice gives rise to certain political beliefs, they differ on what kinds of beliefs should be cultivated.

Author

• Amanda Arulanandam, Princeton University