Niccolo Machiavelli one of Florentine’s famous theorists, writers and scholars is really one of the most representative figures of the Southern or Italian Renaissance. The Renaissance was recognized by it’s fervid embrace of classical humanism. In Classical Learning, a posture Philosophic and moral, which in many ways stood in tension to the perceived Christian tradition and Values and no where is this more obvious than for the work of Machiavelli.
The Prince, by Machiavelli (1467 to 1527) represents the rebirth of the classical tradition of Empirical Political speculation. It is a practical work on how to acquire, secure, hold, and improve Princely Power. Its stark realism and Proto Nationalism pre -figure Political thinking and practice in the centuries that have followed. As a premiere work of Political realism. Machiavelli’s “The Prince” marks a sharp departure from the classical idealism tradition associated with Plato. The books “hero” Cesare Borgia is a cold hearted, unscrupulous, calculating despot. The word Machiavellian has come to refer to a sinister cunning person who ruthlessly pursues personal power in the manner described in “The Prince.” The lecture will explain Machiavelli’s purposes in writing “The Prince,” and outline his practical advice for gaining and keeping Political Power.
All principalities are either based on hereditary or are newly founded. The former are easily maintained as long as tradition is respected. The latter however, are somewhat more difficult to control and the precise difficulty is such a situation depends on certain fundamental circumstances. If the Kingdom has the same culture and language as the Prince, he need simply eliminate all the members of the old royal family. A new Kingdom of a different language and culture is more difficult to hold and requires the exercise of skill to maintain Power. The Prince should reside in the new territory, plant colonies at strategic locations in the new Principality, and side with his less powerful neighbors against his more powerful rivals, similarly to Rome’s expansion into Sicily.
All Principalities are governed with the aid of appointed ministers or hereditary barons. The Prince will always have more Power in the former than in the latter. Regimes with ministers are difficult to conquer but easy to hold, as with Alexander’s conquest of Persia. Regimes with barons are easy to conquer because they are decentralized but they are difficult to hold. Free cities are extremely difficult to conquer and hold because of their traditions of independence and liberty. Once acquired the prince can either despoil the city or reside there himself, or give the city autonomy under a friendly local elite and take tribute. It is always better to be feared than loved because love is fickle, but fear is constant. Fear need not and should not be hatred.
Private citizens who rise to become princes do so either through their own efforts and abilities or through fortune or the efforts of others. The former group finds it difficult to acquire new possessions because of the new rules they must impose. Once obtained and reformed however these territories are easy to hold. Those who become Princes through fortune of their efforts of others have an ascent to Power but a tough time holding onto it. Dependent as they are on their benefactors, as in the case of Cesare Borgia.
Some Princes rise to power through villainy, while others are elevated to the position by fellow citizens. In the case of the villainous prince, the prudent ruler will commit all acts of cruelty at once, softening his rule afterwards again, as in the case of Borgia. A Prince elevated by his fellow citizens will need to play the nobels against the people. Its wise to side with the people than with the elite. The prince should also make sure the people always need him.
In addition to good laws the basic foundation of any regime is a sound military. The prince must study the military arts and their historical practices. Armies are made of mercenaries, auxiliaries (the forces of allied nations), or a national militia. The first two are rife with deficiencies. The militia more trustworthy, is the only safe form of army. It is better for a Prince to have reputation for niggardliness than to be liberal with resources. It is sometimes better to show cruelty than clemency. It is always better to be feared than loved because love is fickle, but fear is constant. Fear should not or need not bring hatred. The key to avoid hatred is to never take the property of citizenry. The prince should have the reputation for honesty, integrity and religion, but not always the reality. Nobel forces and deceitful cunning must sometimes be used. For Princes the ends justify the means. It is incumbent to Secure, hold and improve the Empirical tradition which is done.
Carolyn says that….Logical Positivism is a twentieth century philosophical movement that sought to use formal logic to demonstrate that the meaning of a statement was conditioned on the method of verification. The Commonwealth is secure, holds, and is improving. This is fact. Machiavelli knew what he was talking about in “The Prince.”
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