Frederick the Great's Philosophical Writings

Frederick the Great of Prussia was a prolific writer of philosophical discourses, poems, epics, satires, and more, and this edition of selected writings is the first to make a wide range of his most important ideas available to a modern English readership. It includes essays, prefaces, reviews, and dialogues on ethics, religion, and political theory, and is accompanied by critical annotations. Avi Lifschitz provides a robust and detailed introduction that discusses Fredericks life and work against the backdrop of eighteenth-century history and politics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2024
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Frederick II of Prussia, also known as Frederick the Great, was a prolific writer of philosophical discourses, poems, epics, satires, and more, while maintaining extensive correspondence with prominent intellectuals, including Voltaire. This edition of selected writings, the first to make a wide range of Frederick's most important ideas available to a modern English readership, moves beyond traditional attempts to see his work only in light of his political aims. In these pages, we can finally appreciate Frederick's influential contributions to the European Enlightenment and his unusual role as a monarch who was also a published author.

In addition to his major opus, the Anti-Machiavel, the works presented here include essays, prefaces, reviews, and dialogues. The subjects discussed range from ethics to religion to political theory. Accompanied by critical annotations, the texts show that we can understand Frederick's views of kingship and the state only if we engage with a broad spectrum of his thought, including his attitudes toward morality and self-love. By contextualizing his arguments and impact on Enlightenment beliefs, this volume considers how we can reconcile Frederick's innovative public musings with his absolutist rule.

Avi Lifschitz provides a robust and detailed introduction that discusses Frederick's life and work against the backdrop of eighteenth-century history and politics. With its unparalleled scope and cross-disciplinary appeal, Frederick the Great's Philosophical Writings firmly establishes one monarch's multifaceted relevance for generations of readers and scholars to come.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691258911