Machiavelli's Ideal

Machiavelli’s ethical paradigm can be summarized very well in the phrase, “the end justifies the means, if the end is good” . As a political philosopher, by good, Machiavelli refers to the good of the state, the ultimate Common Good, whether carried out by a Prince or Republic. He also implies that it is right for statesmen to accomplish good for the state, and that it is wrong not to do so. Here, he conflicts with Christian morality, stating that, although a Prince can be moral, immorality is far more effective in statesmanship, and that moral Princes are ultimately taken advantage of by immoral Princes: This sentiment is echoed when Machiavelli states, “The…man who wants to act virtuously…comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous,”

Machiavelli’s goal is to create a society that adheres to Classical virtù, and he believes that, initially, only absolute monarchy can accomplish this. The Prince was written partially for the purpose of teaching absolute monarchs, or Princes, how to accomplish this. Copleston reinforces, however, Machiavelli’s republicanism. He states that Machiavelli believed that although an absolute Prince is more effective in passing “virtùous” laws, a Republic is more effective in upholding them, once they are set in place. The reason being is that absolute Princes are most interested in personal gain and self-preservation, while Republics are more concerned with the General Good, the rights of the people, and the strength of the state. For this reason, people are also more motivated to fight, militarily, for a Republic than for a Prince. To this effect, Machiavelli explicitly states that the military should be a state’s primary concern, for “the first way to lose your state is to neglect the art of war; the first way to win a state is to be skillful in the art of war,” (Machiavelli 1981, 87) In simpler language, Machiavelli subscribes to the maxim, “might makes right”, and also believes that enforcing by arms is much more effective than enforcing by laws. In summary, Machiavelli believes a state should start with an absolute

Machiavelli’s thought on human nature is that men are ungrateful, fickle, dishonest, cowardly, and greedy, among other undesirable traits. Machiavelli’s belief that human nature is “egoistic, evil, and corrupt” , as stated by Copleston, leads to his pragmatic philosophy, putting what is effective ahead of what is good. In this sense, Machiavelli is a realist, not an idealist, believing that what is practical, not what is moral, works best because human nature is corrupt, and does not respond as well to moral methods as to immoral methods, when dealing with the state. This practical philosophy is referred to as pragmatism. Also, the evil in human nature is a reason for why Machiavelli says that moral Princes come to grief, and why he believes it is right to do evil to accomplish a worthy goal. After all, if others are evil at heart, regardless, would it not then make sense to harm them before they can harm you? Machiavelli also admired the unscrupulous and strong-willed, while scorning the humble as weak and useless. This leads one to believe that Machiavelli thought the best that can be drawn from human nature is the use of evil to gain power and, in the case of statesmen, maintaining a