Machiavelli Renaissance Political Science: Virtù, Power & Statecraft

Item 10: Renaissance Political Science — Machiavelli

1. Socio-Historical Context

He lived from the 15th to the 16th century during the Renaissance, a period marked by a renewed humanism and changing attitudes toward politics, art, and learning.

2. Republic or Strong Monarchy?

Machiavelli's ideal state is a well-organized republic, but he argues that when the most perfect political systems become corrupted, a prince or absolute monarch may be necessary to impose order.

3. A New Discipline: Political Science

He is regarded as a founder of modern political science for two reasons:

• He draws on political experience (the political events of his time).
• He uses sound theoretical principles to explain and understand those political events.

Two key conclusions follow:

• The governor must be amoral to govern effectively and to influence and control the behavior of people. We should take into account only what is actually done, not what one would morally prefer to do to remain in power.
• He rejects utopian designs and ideal societies because they obscure the main end of politics: to exercise and maintain power. Power thus becomes an end in itself, for which any means may be considered valid (the end justifies the means).

4. Rational Perspective: Theoretical Principles

• Immutability of Human Nature: Human nature does not change across time or place; humans are consistently dominated by the same desires and passions. By carefully examining the past, one can inductively derive general rules that regulate or govern future events.
• The Wickedness of Man: In politics it must be assumed that people are self-interested and may pursue harmful aims when they can. Rulers should have no illusions about human kindness; people are good primarily out of necessity.

5. Policy and Reason of State

For Machiavelli, politics is the art of creating, enlarging, and maintaining a state. The latter task is also the task of the state and the prince: retain power. END POLICY END STATE = = = END OF PRINCE

This is the origin of the reason of state: when a ruler acts on the interest, defense, or welfare of the state regardless of conventional morality. Hence, the end justifies the means and success justifies actions.

The two factors that influence the ruler to achieve political success are:

• Virtù (double virtue): the cunning to find the best means to achieve goals and the vigor to carry them out.
• Fortune: external events and circumstances beyond full control; some events are unpredictable, though others can be anticipated or sensed.