Mysteries of State in the Renaissance: Neoplatonism, Reformation and Political Cosmology

Government decisions shape our lives, but how much do we know about the foundations of modern political thought? Theorists in the Renaissance constructed the ideological world we inhabit. They claimed to have mastered natural secrets whilst also promising perpetual, flawless, and scientifically demonstrable rule. Selective applications of artistic themes, religious symbols, imperialistic concepts and spells cast by ‘intellectual magic,’ helped advance sovereign rule. By mid-17th century, these speculations were spinning an elaborate web of control. If we wish to understand myths of our current age, the intellectual mystique enshrouding origins of the modern State must first be revealed.