Peter Sloterdijk's 'Der Fürst und seine Erben' Examines Machiavelli's Relevance Today

Peter Sloterdijk's new book 'Der Fürst und seine Erben' (Edition Suhrkamp, 2026) reinterprets Niccolò Machiavelli's 'The Prince' (1513, published 1532) as a guide for modern autocrats. Sloterdijk, known for his erudite and witty style, argues that Renaissance tyranny—exemplified by Lorenzo de' Medici and Savonarola—finds echoes in today's leaders, from tech billionaires to nationalist politicians. He introduces concepts like 'Verwilderung der Vertikalität' (wilding of verticality) to describe extreme social hierarchies, referencing Ernst Kantorowicz's 'The King's Two Bodies'. Sloterdijk critiques modern democracy's crisis as a collapse of belief in converging individual rationalities, coining the phrase 'mikro-royale Existenz im Citoyen-Inkognito'. The book's fourth chapter focuses on theatrical self-staging, contrasting Victor Hugo with Napoleon III, whom Sloterdijk calls a pioneer of media-driven politics. Sloterdijk suggests that true insight into contemporary power comes not from early modern texts but from 19th-century demagogues. The volume is part of the 'Edition Suhrkamp' series.