La “differenza” europea. Riflessioni sull’essenza “agonica” dell’Europa a partire da Niccolò Machiavelli

Abstract

The essay develops the suggestion by Federico Chabod that Machiavelli is the father of the modern idea of Europe. Starting from the analysis of the thought of Machiavelli, it shows the structurally plural soul of Europe, as it has historically evolved and as it was understood by some of its principal actors. The figure that best describes the essence of European integration is the archipelago, and the unity which coexists with the multiplicity of its component parts.