Machiavelli Flashcards
What is Machiavelli’s philosophy?
Rulers should do whatever is necessary to maintain their power and ensure stability. Leaders shoulld be willing to use force and deception to achievee their goals
Explain “man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so men who are not good”
It is necessary for a prince to learn how not to be good and to use this knowledge and hot to use it according to the necessity of the case as a person who tries to be virtuous/good at all times will be more easily manipulated and taken advantage of by those who are not good.
It reflects pragmatism and the need to be willing to act in ways that are not always seen as good/virtuous in order to achieve one’s goals
What is the human nature for machiavelli
Men are undependable, naive, deceitful, liars, self-centered, ungrateful
Old principality or new principality
Auxilliaries or citizen army
Old: the prince has already the support of the people so he knows how to manipulate them
Citizen army: citizens are willing to fight for the state; they are most reliable, and loyal
Explain Machiavelli’s point on taking sides
It is better to take sides in order to gain power. In any given situation, there are always competing interests and failing to take sides risks being caught in the middle and being crushed by two sides. A leader who vacillates between two sides or tries to please everyone will ultimately lose the support of both sides and become ineffective
n the law of man and force
Laws alone are not enough to guarantee obedience and loyalty from the people. A ruler must also have the power and willingness to use the force when necessary in order to demonstrate his authority and to discourage any challenges to his rule. This might include deceit, manipulation, and even violence. The end justify the means - means that a ruler should be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives, regardless of whether his actions are morally or ethically justifiable.
Machiavelli: to be feared or loved?
Therefore, a leader must use fear as a means of maintaining control and avoiding rebellion. Fear is easier to inspire than love since people are more likely to obey out of fear of punishment than out of love or loyalty.
Why need the loyalty of people and how
How: by providing their basic needs, protecting them from harm, being seen as just and fair in his dealings with him
Why: because it is the mass that the prince is governing so it is essential that the mass follows his orders
Appearance of being good or being good?
A leader should be willing to do whatever it takes to maintain power, including using deception and manipulation. Machiavelli believed that people are easily deceived by appearances and more likely to follow a leader who appears to be virtuous.
Explain why machievelli’s philosophy is amoral
because he rejected traditional christian morality and instead advocated for a pragmatic approach to politics
Machiavelli on separating politics and morality
Rulers should not be bound by traditional moral standards, but instead should do whatever is necessary to maintain their power and stability of the state. Machiavelli believed that the ruler must sometimes act in ways that would be considered immoral or unethical in order to achieve their goals. He believed that a ruler should be willing to lie, deceive, and use violence if necessary to protect and strengthen the state
the end justifies the means
A leader’s primary responsitbility is to maintain power and stability and must be willing to use any means necessary regardless of whether it is ethically or morally acceptable.
Raison d’etat
Reason of state - idea that the state’s interests and survival are the highest priority and that all the actions taken by the state are justified if they serve this purpose. This means that actions that might be considered immoral or unethical, such as lying, deception, or even violence, can be justified if they serve the interests of the state.
