Machiavelli

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Niccolo Machiavelli, one of the great political minds of the 15th century, accomplished what many mathematicians today only dream of, having one’s name used as an adjective. To be Machiavellian is to demonstrate characteristics of expediency, deceit, and cunning and as Machiavelli wrote in, The Prince, these are the qualities of a great leader. The Prince was published in 1531, creating great controversy with other political thinkers of the time. Machiavelli completely ignored the popular religious teachings of the era and erased the moral and ethical considerations from the leadership equation; the actions of a ruler should be governed solely by necessity. “Since I intend to write something useful to an understanding reader, it seemed better to go after the real truth of the matter then to repeat what people have imagined” (221). The predominate theme of The Prince is that it is the responsibility of any leader to secure and maintain the political power of their state by any means necessary. One can consider many leaders in history who took this to heart, some into success and some into infamy.
Using the cold light of pure reasoning, Machiavelli analyzed human behavior and concluded that man is not good. Therefore, it is necessary for a leader who wishes to remain in power to learn how to not be good and to use this behavior and knowledge and bring it to bear on the decision he is making. “Hence a Prince who wants to keep his post must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires” (222). Machiavelli not only wanted people to let go of the idealistic fact that man is not pure at heart, but to take it a step further and embrace this assumption. Those who do embrace this assumption as a fundamental ‘given’ will be the ones with the power to manipulate and control the masses. “Men are so simple of mind and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived” (228). Decades of thought about religion and politics are intertwined in this thought. The common man willing to give up their free will to that of a higher power and many a deceitful theologian willing to exploit that ignorant passivity for their own purposes.
Why does Machiavelli has such a low view of man? Was he just cynical ...

... middle of paper ...

...orals have no place in politics because they prevent the ruler from doing what must be done to maintain control. ”No prince should mind being called cruel for what he does to keep his subjects united and loyal; he may make examples of a very few, but he will be more merciful in reality than those who, in their tenderheartedness, allow disorders to occur, with their attendant murders and lootings” (225).
Getting a large, mostly Christian populace to suspend ethics and morality for the greater good is no small task. Machiavelli was making a statement about how society really functions rather than how people choose to perceive it. While still very controversial in a timeless way, Machiavelli makes some excellent points and his logic does produce results and much food for thought. However, there is one aspect Machiavelli failed to consider, are results the only thing that are important to a society? What is sacrificed to achieve his ultimate end? And is that price worth paying?

Machiavelli, Niccolo. “The Morals of the Prince.” 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Ed. Samuel Cohen. NY, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. 221-229

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