The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy

The source of the idea the essay ends on: that the Italian states were the first in Europe to be treated as made things, the outcome of calculation rather than inheritance.

The essay is explicit that it takes the craft and leaves the cynicism. Burckhardt meant the phrase partly as an indictment, since many of the makers were despots. Detached from that, the claim becomes the one the essay wants: a state is an artefact, so it can be designed better, so it is a proper object of care.

Drawn on by For the Love of Law.