THE PRINCE OF MACHIAVELLI: AN ANALYSIS OF THE STATECRAFT (original) (raw)
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The Trajectory of Machiavelli's Concept of State in Early Modern Politics
Dialogi Polityczne/Political Dialogues: Journal of Political Theory [ISSN: 1730-8003], 2022
This paper suggests that the trajectory that Machiavelli's concept of the state took by later political thinkers, active in reshaping the character of the political order they were working with, fundamentally shaped and altered the direction of the political development of Early Modern Europe. Looking at how later thinkers used Machiavelli's concept and reframed it in their given political traditions and contexts often leads to how the concept evolved over time. This paper argues that there was a clear arch of how Machiavelli's concept of the state was reformulated and repackaged by key legal and political thinkers such as Gentili, Bodin, Grotius, and finally Hobbes. Their reformation of Machiavelli's state fundamentally altered the concept radically from what Machiavelli coined as an outcome of the given prince's new modes and orders to Hobbes's depersonalized Leviathan.
This paper uses the concept of power to analyze Machiavelli's The Prince and the Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius. This helps to distil the elements that form the Machiavelli program that has its short-term aim in the formation of a national state of Italy. A unification of Italy under the umbrella of a princely family (such as identified with Cesare Borgia) was meant to be the first stage in an evolutionary process which, in the end, could lead to a more or less stable republican system. For the latter, the Roman Republic as described in the Discourses is Machiavelli's model. The use of power, but also the minimization of cruelties, and the participation of the people, either in the form of militia to successfully fight foreign armies or to support the princely government, are major ingredients to this process.
MACHIAVELLIAN POWER: On Machiavelli's conception of Power, Human Nature & the State
MACHIAVELLIAN POWER: On Machiavelli's conception of Power, Human Nature & the State, 2020
Niccolo Machiavelli’s conception of power is logically inseparable from his views on human nature and the state. More so, with an understanding of these views it is possible to see how his conception of power led him to the controversial conclusions found in his political thought. Our discussion of Machiavelli's conception of power will begin by examining a framework through which we can logically envision the relationship between power, human nature and the state. Following this we shall attempt to breakdown Machiavelli’s conception of power by initially selecting a concept of power that we will use to analyse its main functions and uses according to Machiavelli. Through this essay, we shall establish the strong logical connection between Machiavelli’s conception of power and his view of human nature and the state.
Trajectory of Machiavelli’s Concept of State in Early Modern Politics
Dialogi Polityczne
This paper suggests that the trajectory that Machiavelli’s concept of the state took by later political thinkers active in reshaping the character of the political order they were working with fundamentally the shape and direction of the political development of Early Modern Europe. Looking at how later thinkers used Machiavelli’s concept and reframed it for their given political traditions and contexts often lead to how the concept evolved over time. This paper argues that there was a clear arch of how Machiavelli’s concept of the state was reformulated and repackaged by such key legal and political thinkers such as Gentile, Bodin, Grotius and finally Hobbes, whose reformation of Machiavelli’s state is it fundamentally alters it so it radically transformed from what Machiavelli coined.
Acquisition and Retention of Political Power: An Examination of Niccolo Machiavelli's View
FLASH - Journal of Philosophy and Religion Volume 6 No.1, 2012
Generally speaking, the idea of power cannot be undermined in political philosophy. This is because of its role in the conduct of human affairs in the society. A critical analysis of various political philosophers' treatise on political power reveals that there is a contrast in their discussion, especially with respect to how political power can be acquired, exercised and retained. While Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Hobbes, Alan Gewirth, Awolowo and many others discuss the nature and ways of acquiring and retaining political power with utmost consideration for morality, consent of the citizens and the idea of obligation, Niccolo Machiavelli on the other hand express a different view. To him, the acquisition, exercise and retention of power can be done without any consideration for humanity. His position therefore is a paradigm shift from the traditional conception of political power. This paper therefore, is a dissection of the Machiavellian philosophy on the acquisition, retention and expansion of political power as exemplified in his book The Prince. The paper uphold the traditional discourse of political power as seen in the philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes and many others and argues that the Machiavellian idea of political power if embraced will have negative influence on humanity.
In his book, The Prince, written in 1513, Niccolò Machiavelli argued for the autonomy of politics from religion and ethics, essentially creating the discipline of political sciences. His ideas enjoyed a great popularity in the following centuries, and were admired, and more often criticized and also despised, by a large number of philosophers and politicians. Our purpose in this paper is to examine the reception and interpretation of Machiavelli's ideas in Europe in the interwar period, in particular in the authoritarian ideologies of fascist political actors.
Accusations of "Machiavellianism" abound. The term is a forceful condemnation of a political opponent, suggesting unparalleled deceit and inevitable treachery. Despite this association, politicians ranging from Emmanuel Macron to Steven Bannon still refer to their knowledge of Machiavelli to imply political skillfulness. While Machiavelli has become an integral part of our everyday political vocabulary, we lack a sense of what he said and how it has been interpreted. Machiavelli has been called many things: master of statecraft, teacher of evil, quintessential republican, and radical democrat. These many Machiavelli's often tell us as much about the thinker engaging with the work of Machiavelli as they tell us about the Renaissance Florentine himself. This course reads Machiavelli's core political texts alongside debates that have unfolded through his work. We will follow the ways his thought has informed conversations about the role of the people in the polity, ideas of morality and politics, the nature of political knowledge, and the relationship between war, power, and authority, among other issues. Revisiting the debates around Machiavelli's political thought alongside the original text provides us not only with a chance to dispute earlier interpretations but also offers a map of major concepts in political theory. Drawing on the interventions of his many interpreters, we will consider how Machiavelli might speak to our contemporary political moment. Where do love and fear arise in our political life? How do we build a polity that can endure? Who is the new Prince, and what would it mean to apply this concept today?
2018
The study proposes a new reading of an intriguing character, a Florentine clerk who revolutionized political culture and became the most problematic thinker of his times. This is the starting point from which the “Machiavellian revolution” is synthetically interpreted in four ways: a.Adeep analysis of the conceptual sphere of the political elements and factors, which involves the examination of a series of fundamental concepts: power, political subject, interest, domination, hegemony, virtù etc.; b. a reinterpretation of the classical texts of political philosophy from a new perspective; c. a new perception on the political praxis, in terms of the possible strategies and of the distinction between the public and the private sphere and d. a reconstruction of the political theory in the spirit of the Renaissance anthropology. Therefore the study selects and presents the key cultural and theoretical aspects that support these observations and further them open to interpretation.