Political Philosophy Part 1

Week 5: Machiavelli

 

Links: Machiavelli Notes

 

Summary:

1. Introduction: Machiavelli and his reputation

- ‘Old Nic’

- was he a philosopher (or a ‘political sociologist’?)

- political ‘realism.’

 

2. Context:

2.1 Changes in thought and politics in the early modern period (16th century):

- secularism

- individualism (sovereignty of the individual) and consequent mechanistic outlook on

            the state

- nationalism (sovereignty of kings, princes etc i.e. secular national rulers)

- rationalism (in Machiavelli, ‘realism’ and power-politics).

 

2. 2 Situating Machiavelli historically (*):

2.1 Renaissance (of classical learning), + ‘virtu’ and practicalities of rule

2.2 Italy, Florence, the Medicis and the Popes (briefly!)

2.3 Machiavelli’s career (diplomacy, imprisonment), and its impact on his writing

            (especially his views on religion and power).

 

3. Key aspects of Machiavelli’s thought, as shown in the extracts:

- from the Discourses on Livy: a republican outlook

From The Prince:

1 the nature of political power

2 acquiring political power

3 human nature…

4 effective rule

5 ‘economy of cruelty’

6 ruler and people

7 religion

8 ‘arms’ and mercenaries

9 utopias

10 the reputation of the prince, being loved or feared, appearing to be moral

11 the prince and the common people

12 ‘fate’ (fortuna) and ‘prowess’ (virtu).

 

(*) Other figures from the period:

 

Christopher Columbus: 1451 – 1506    Leonardo da Vinci:       1452 – 1519   

Nicholas Copernicus:    1473 – 1543    Michelangelo:               1475 – 1564

Cesare Borgia:              1476 – 1507    Thomas More:              1478 – 1535

Martin Luther:               1483 - 1546     Jean Calvin:                  1509 – 1564