Social and Political Philosophy. Niccolo Machiavelli

1. NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI
1469-- 1527

2. INTRODUCTION
 Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469
- 1527) was an Italian philosopher, political
theorist, diplomat, musician and writer of
the Renaissance period.
 He was a central figure in the political scene
of the Italian Renaissance, a tumultuous
period of plots, wars between city states and
constantly shifting alliances.
 Although he never considered himself a
philosopher (and often
overtly rejected philosophical inquiry
as irrelevant), many subsequent political
philosophers have been influenced by his
ideas.

3.  He is best known today for two main
works, the well-known "The Prince" (a
treatise on political realism and a guide on
how a ruler can retain control over his
subjects), and the "Discourses on
Livy" (the most important work
on republicanism in the early modern
period).

4.  Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy on 3
May 1469, the second son of Bernardo di
Niccolò Machiavelli (a lawyer)
and Bartolommea di Stefano Nelli.
 His family were believed to be descended
from the old marquesses of Tuscany, and
were probably quite wealthy.
 Little is known of his early life, but his
education (possibly at the University of
Florence) left him with a thorough knowledge
of the Latin and Italian classics, and he was
trained as a man with great
nobility and severe rigour by his father.

5. LIFE CONT...
 He entered governmental service in Florence
as a clerk and ambassador in 1494, the same
year as Florence had restored the republic and
expelled the ruling Medici family.
 He was soon promoted to Second
Chancellor of the Republic of Florence, with
responsibility for diplomatic
negotiations and military matters.
 Between 1499 and 1512, he undertook a
number of diplomatic missions to the court
of Louis XII of France, Ferdinand II of Aragón
and the Papacy in Rome. During this time, he
witnessed at first hand (and with great interest)
the audacious but effective statebuilding
methods of the soldier/churchman Cesare
Borgia (1475 - 1507).

6. LIFE CONT...
 From 1503 to 1506, Machiavelli was
responsible for the Florentine militia and
the defence of the city (he
distrusted mercenaries, preferring
a citizen militia).
 He had some early success, but in 1512,
the Medici (with the help of Pope Julius
II and Spanish troops) defeated the
Florentine force, and Machiavelli was
removed from office, accused of
conspiracy and arrested.

7. LIFE CONT...
 After torture, he was eventually released
and retired to his estate at Sant'Andrea
(in Percussina near Florence) and
began writing the treatises that would
ensure his place in the history of Political
Philosophy, "Il Principe" ("The Prince")
and "Discorsi sopra la prima deca di
Tito Livio" ("Discourses on Livy").

8. LIFE CONT...
 Near the end of his life, and probably with the
aid of well-connected friends whom he had
been constantly badgering, Machiavelli
began to return to the favour of the Medici
family.
 From 1520 to 1525, he worked on a "History
of Florence", commissioned by Cardinal
Giulio de'Medici (who later become Pope
Clement VII).

9. LIFE CONT...
 However, before he could achieve a full
rehabilitation, he died in San Casciano,
just outside of Florence, on 21 June 1527.
 His resting place is unknown.

10. WORK
 Machiavelli's best known work, "Il
Principe" ("The Prince"), was written in
some haste in 1513 while in exile on his
farm outside Florence, and was dedicated
to Lorenzo de'Medici in the hope
of regaining his status in the Florentine
Government.
 However, it was only formally published
posthumously in 1532.
 In it, he described the arts by which a
Prince (or ruler) could retain control of his
realm.

11. WORK CONT...
 A "new" prince has a much more difficult
task than a hereditary prince, since he
must stabilize his newfound power and
build a structure that will endure, a task
that requires the Prince to be publicly
above reproach but privately may require
him to do immoral things in order to
achieve his goals.
 He outlined his criteria for acceptable
cruel actions and pointed out the irony in
the fact that good can come from evil
actions.

12. WORK CONT...
 Although "The Prince" did not
dispense entirely with morality nor advocate
wholesale selfishness or degeneracy,
the Catholic Church nevertheless put the
work on its index of prohibited books, and it
was viewed very negatively by
many Humanists, such as Erasmus.
 It marked a fundamental
break between Realism and Idealism.
Although never directly stated in the
book, "the end justifies the means" is often
quoted as indicative of
the Pragmatism or Instrumentalism that
underlies Machiavelli's philosophy.

13. WORK CONT...
 He also touched on totalitarian themes,
arguing that the state is merely
an instrument for the benefit of the ruler,
who should have no qualms at
using whatever means are at his disposal
to keep the citizenry suppressed.
 Unlike Plato and Aristotle, though,
Machiavelli was not looking to describe
the ideal society, merely to present a
guide to getting and preserving power and
the status quo.

14. WORK CONT...
 His other major contribution to political
thought, the "Discorsi sopra la prima
deca di Tito Livio" ("Discourses on
Livy") was begun around 1516 and
compeleted in 1518 or 1519.
 It was an exposition of the principles of
republican rule, masquerading as
a commentary on the work of the famous
historian of the Roman Republic.

15. WORK CONT...
 It constitutes a series of lessons on how
a republic should be started and structured,
including the concept
of checks and balances, the strength of
a tripartite structure, and the superiority of
a republic over
a principality or monarchy.
 If not the first, then it was certainly the most
important work on republicanism in the
early modern period.

16. THE PRINCE PLOT SUMMARY
 Niccolo Machiavelli, in dedicating his book
to Lorenzo de' Medici, urges the young
prince of Florence to read his work and
follow its advice.
 He also asks the prince to consider his bad
turn of fortune (his exile from Florentine
politics).
 Having made his case, Machiavelli goes
right to the main focus of his work-how
principalities can be acquired, governed,
and preserved.

17. PLOT CONT...
Machiavelli identifies three main
types of principalities:
 Hereditary
 New or
 mixed

18. PRINCIPALITIES CONT...
 Hereditary
The hereditary principality passes
down power through the ruling
family.
It is not difficult to maintain as long
as the hereditary prince continues to
rule as before.

19. PRINCIPALITIES CONT...
 New
New principalities are created
through military or civil
acquisition.

20. PRINCIPALITIES CONT...
 Mixed principalities (new territories added to
an existing one) are of two kinds.
 If the new territory shares the same
language and customs as the old one, the
prince must extinguish the former ruling line
and rule as before.
 If the new territory does not share the
language and customs, the prince should
either reside in it or set up colonies consisting
of his own citizens or soldiers.
 Whether he chooses to reside in it or set up
colonies, he must protect weaker neighbors,
weaken powerful ones, and not let powerful
forces enter his territories.

21. THERE ARE FOUR WAYS A NEW PRINCE CAN
ACQUIRE A PRINCIPALITY:
 by one's own arms
 by the arms of others
 by evil means
 and by civil means

22. CONT...
 by one's own arms
 A principality that is won by a prince by
his own arms is most secure.

 They ruled effectively because they were
all armed, unlike Savaronola, a
Dominican friar who lost power because
he did not take up arms.

23. CONT…
 by the arms of others
A principality acquired by
the arms of others needs
a prince with both fortune
and virtue.

24. CONT…
by evil means
 Princes who come to power
through evil means may gain
power but not glory because of
their conduct.

25. CONT…
 and by civil means
Those who come to power by civil
means (election by the nobles or
the people) must remember to win
the support of the people because
they are crucial in times of
adversity.

26.  Machiavelli also mentions the ecclesiastical
principality with the pope as the
ecclesiastical prince.
 In describing how the position of pope has
come to wield much power, Machiavelli does
not make a great distinction between a
religious prince and a territorial prince.

27.  Regarding how a prince should rule and act,
Machiavelli states that in an ideal world, it is
virtuous for a prince to be good.
 But in reality, princes who distance
themselves from ethical concerns and do
whatever it takes for the benefit of their
states rule best.
 Therefore, it is better to be parsimonious
than generous, cruel than loving, crafty than
honest.

28.  Machiavelli's general rule is to be as good as
circumstances allow, but be willing to resort to any
means necessary for the good of the state.
 A feudal prince must be wise in controlling the
nobles and keeping the people content.
 Even fortresses are useless if the prince does not
have the support of his people.

29.  A prince gains esteem and glory through his
courage.
 When two neighbors are at war, a prince must
never be neutral; he must take sides.
 The prince must have the wisdom to choose the
least risky venture and act on it courageously.
 Wisdom is also needed in picking and satisfying his
closest advisors and avoiding flatterers.

30. THE END
 References;
 http://www.bookrags.com/notes/pri/#gsc.tab=0
 http://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_m
achiavelli.html