Machiavelli Flashcards
Where was Machiavelly born?
Florence, when it was still a city state
What was his position in the government?
political advisor & ambassador to city states (representing interests of city states to govs.)
When and why did Machiavelli write The Prince?
I512: aiming to gain the avours of the new prince to regain his positin of power in the govt.
Machiavelli is considered one of the most important political thinkers. Modern doesn’t refer to period in time, what does it mean?
Modern
- is when politics became centered around the state as an institution (raison d’état)
What does his work highlight?
insists on radical seperation between politics, religion, subjectivity and morality
> believes the power of the prince is unrelated to God which was shocking at the time
What is Machiavelli’s view of power?
Practical: prince must make rational/practical decisions in interest of state
Realist
What 2 main questions does he pose?
- How can a prince grow/ maintain his power?
- How to maintain security and stability of state?
What are the qualities of a good prince?
-ability to prioritise interests of state
- Virtù
-ability to make unpopular decisions
What is virtù?
Not to do w/ morality
- practical skills
- talent
- good vision
- attitude
- dediacation
- flexibility
- wisdom
How do you know if a prince has virtù?
- achieves glory and honour
- is feared (“one ought to be both feared & loved but since it’s difficult for the two to go together it’s safer to be feared.”) –> anti democratic
Who is fortuna?
Goddess of chance
worshipped in early 16th in Italy
What is fortuna’s relevancy to machiaveli?
Believes we are affected by chance
Contradiction: wants no connection between politics and any subjectivity yet brings back spirituality in his theories
Why is flexibility from the prince so important?
- element of incertitude in politics, which can derail the prince’s plan
- prince must be able to adapt to changing circumstances
- prince should never leave anything up to chance
