WE LIVE IN A POLITICAL WORLD

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI

THE PRINCE

LECTURE 2-4

SEPTEMBER 28-OCTOBER 2, 2015

LECTURE OUTLINE

1. Machiavelli and Florence

2. Structure of The Prince

3. Virtù, or Political Excellence

4. Fortuna

5. Conclusions

NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI• 1469, Born in Florence (not an aristocrat)

• 1498, Soderini selected gonfalonier for life; Machiavelli begins public life

• 1512, Soderini deposed, the Medici return to power

• 1513, Machiavelli arrested, tortured, lives in “retirement,” writes The Prince

• 1515, M writes Discourses

• 1525, Completes History of Florence

• 1526, Dies

LITERARY LIFE OF THE PRINCE• 1513, Drafted and dedicated to Guiliano de’Medici (later

to Lorenzo)

• Circulates in manuscript widely; published only in 1531

• Reception: It teaches immorality!

• To be machiavellian

• Legacy: Realpolitik

• Politics is a sphere of human action distinct from all others (ethics, theology, economics, etc)

• How does a republican write The Prince?

STRUCTURE OF THE PRINCE• Genre: Mirror of the Prince

• Exhortation to the Christian prince

• M takes the structure, changes the content

• Radical position: Is it better to be feared or loved?

• Expected topic in a mirror

• Common answer: Loved

• M’s: Feared

• Lesson: Fear is NOT the opposite of Love

12-14: Military issues (10, 20)15-23: Conduct of the Prince24-26: Conclusion

By Religion (11)

By the People (9)

By Crime (8)

By Fortune (7)

By Virtù (6-7)

New (4-5)Mixed (3)

Republic (Discourses)

Hereditary (2)

Principality (1)

AS A HUMANIST TEXT

• Classical form, historical examples

• M adds recent Italian-European examples

• Politics is a human project

• Brackets questions of God (38)

• Classical virtues over the Christian ones

• Christian: Clemency, generosity, integrity

• Classical: Courage, prudence, temperance, justice

VIRTÙ• Frequency of the word in the text (Ex. p19)

• Virtù = prowess, excellence NOT “virtue”

• Origins: vir (man), virile (manliness), linked to mastery and control

• The lion and the fox (56-7)

• Historical examples: Cyrus, Moses, Romulus, Theseus

• Contemporary ex: Cesare Borgia (1475-1507)

• Fortune and prowess!

• Remirro de Orco’s role; “appeased and stupified” (25)

• Why Cesare Borgia?

MACHIAVELLI’S PRESENTATION• Either/Or presentation

• Tempts the simple reversal: Good is bad, and bad is good!

• Lesson: Politics is about context and consequences

• Cruelty is neither good nor bad; it is used well or poorly

• What are good consequences?

• Glory vs Crime

• Example of Agothocles (Ch8)

PRACTICES OF VIRTÙ• Importance of reputation

• Appearing to be vs Being

• In practice, many virtues have vicious consequences—they harm people

• Generosity (Ch16)

• Vs Miserliness

• What is a Prince’s generosity like in practice?

• Extravagance is self-destructive; burdens the people

• So, what are you being generous with? Is it sustainable?

INTEGRITY (CH18)• Honor, keeping your word

• Assumption: It’s good to keep your promises

• M: It will end in your ruin!

• Binds you to specific action in an uncertain future

• Others will not remain true to their word

• Integrity is about your ultimate purpose

• Good governance, not your personal moral purity

• Prudence: Why believe anyone will keep his word if it’s not in his self-interest?

FORTUNA• Life is prowess and fortune, what you control and

what you don’t

• Fortuna: opportunity, timing, and luck

• The world is in constant flux

• Fortune is like a river (79)

• Caution and accommodation pay off

• Fortune is like a woman (81)

• Be impetuous and commanding

CRITIQUE

• Fortune requires planning and spontaneity?

• What is up with the gendered vision?

• Fortune (feminine), Virtù (masculine)

• What work is this binary doing?

• What’s so real about the manly world of self-interest and so unreal about women, virtue, and fortune?

CONCLUSIONS• Machiavelli is a republican for glory and a prince

• Politics is a human practice

• Judged by experience (not ideals)

• Not a call for absolutism

• About good governing, strong leadership

• Many limits to power (practical, not moral)

• Machiavelli encourages love of this life