Machiavelli's thought
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This lesson from a TEACHER, we will do a summary of the thought of Machiavelli, Italian political philosopher and writer, considered the father of modern Political Science, although he is Certainly his political theory is more proto-scientific than scientific and is closer to art than to science. He was one of the most prominent characters of the Italian Renaissance and his treatise on political philosophy, Prince, is the most representative work of him. He was strongly influenced by Lorenzo de 'Medici, and in fact, the Prince, is dedicated to his grandson. Likewise, Machiavelli exerted a great influence on humanist thought. If you want to know more about the thought of Machiavelli, continue reading this lesson.
Index
- What is the basis of Machiavelli's thought
- Speeches on the first decade of Tito Livio
- The Prince of Machiavelli
What is the basis of Machiavelli's thought.
The life of Machiavelli revolves around Pope Alexander VI and that of his son, César Borgia, Duke Valentino, and much of his masterpiece deals with them,
Prince, and in fact in this work he seems to be a kind of hero, a man capable of adapting to changing circumstances, which is the secret of success. In politics, it all depends on the circumstances.Everyone knows the phrase,The end justifies the means, that although it is not from Machiavelli, it has always been attributed to him, but it is that with this statement, all his political philosophy. Because for each situation, there is a way of acting, which varies according to the circumstances, which change over time. Therefore, there is no single way of doing politics, of governing, but this will depend on the moment. Each action will be justified by its purpose. And any decision made in politics must be directed to the achievement of a specific goal.
And this is what a Prince, a ruler, should know, because when it comes to defending one's country, things like good or evil should not be taken into account. Politics has no relation to morals.
He considers, like Hobbes, that the human being is evil by nature and that therefore, the ruler must be very aware of this when making the laws. Because if a person can do evil and benefit from it, he will undoubtedly do it. If they don't, it is simply out of fear.
"If a person wishes to found a state and create the laws of it, he must begin by assuming that all men are perverse and who are prepared to show their nature, provided they find the occasion to it."
The most important works of Machiavelli are the Speeches on the first decade of Tito Livio Y Prince.
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Discourses on the first decade of Tito Livio.
Continuing this lesson on the summary of Machiavelli's thought, we will now talk about his work of "Discourses on the first decade of Tito Livio" which is a defense of the republic taking as a model the Republic of Rome.
He affirms that the people and the rulers, there is a constant opposition and therefore, if the people participate in politics, it is possible to restrict this struggle to the sphere of politics. Yes indeed, the Republic must be perfectly organizedIn such a way that, through his institutions, he manages to maintain this combat internally, otherwise, it would be the end of it.
“A Republic can be called happy where a man appears so wise that he gives him a set of laws, under which it is possible to live safely without the need to correct them ”.
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The Prince of Machiavelli.
The purpose of this work is to teach Lorenzo II Medici to rule a country, hold it together and end the enormous crisis that plagues it. The figure of the prince, he says in this work, could be more favorable than the Republic if the latter knows how to adapt to changing circumstances and take advantage of them. The problem is that the consequences of his political victories, his exploits, the successes achieved during his tenure, will disappear. at the same moment in which the prince disappears, not like that, instead, those of the republic, as long as it is well organized.
Although some authors find great differences between the Discourses and The Prince, the truth is that there are certain similarities between both works, since the prince of Machiavelli bears a great resemblance to the Roman dictator Tito Livio. The two books seek, after all, to transform Italy into a state of modernity.
Machiavelli's political thought is relativistic from the moral point of view and Peter sloterdijk makes a harsh criticism of it in his workCritique of Cynical Reason, which condemns cynicism and false consciousness of the Enlightenment.
Other important works of Machiavelli are the Rportrait of the court of Germany, the Portrait of the Court of France, From the Art of War orFlorentine stories.
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Bibliography
Nicholas Machiavelli. Prince. Ed. Planet
Nicholas Machiavelli. Speeches on the first decade of Tito Livio. Ed. Planet
