HUM102CulturalEncountersII

NiccolòMachiavelliThePrince

Dr.SandrineBertauxAssistantProfessorofHumanitiesBoğaziçiUniversity19February2020

1513Machiavelli:ThePrince

1550Vasari:

LivesoftheArtists

1615Galileo:Lettertothe

GrandDuchess

ChristinaofTuscany

Galileo(1564-1642)Anewperspectiveontheuniverse

Vasari(1511-1574)

Anewperspectiveonartisticrepresentation

Vasari:SixTuscanPoets

Machiavelli(1469-1527)ANewPerspectiveonPolitics

ThestatesofItaly,ontheeveofFrance’sinvasion(1494)

MachiavelliandtheRepublicofFlorence

•  Seniorbureaucrat;•  Diplomaticmissions;Wroteseveralreports.•  ProtectingFlorence:army(vs.mercenaries)ReturnoftheMedicitopowerin1512:Machiavelliaccusedofconspiracy

LeonardodaVinciMonaLisa

FailuretodiverttheArnoriver

Strappado:AJudicialTorture

ExiledfromFlorence:TheDuomoofFirenze

ThePrince(1513)

•  LatinDePrincipatibus(OfPrincipalities):theprinceistheruler

•  Writtenin1513,themanuscriptcirculates,thebookwaspublishedafterMachiavelli’sdeath,in1532.

•  PutontheIndexofProhibitedBooksoftheCatholicChurch

Dedication:theobserverandtheobserved

“Ihopeitwillnotbethoughtpresumptuousifamanoflowsocialrankundertakestodiscusstheruleofprincesandlaydowninstructionsforthem.Whenpainterswanttorepresentlandscapes,theystandonlowgroundtogetatrueviewofthemountainsandhills;theyclimbtothetopsofthemountainstogetapanoramaoverthevalleys.Similarly,toknowthepeoplewellonemustbeaprince,andtoknowprinceswellonemustbeoneselfofthepeople.”

DiscoursesonLivy

“Menbynatureareenvious.Ithasalwaysbeenasdangeroustoproposenewwaysofthinkingandnewinstitutionsasitistochecktheunknownoceansandundiscoveredcontinents.”

ImitatingtheAncients

“Thinkoftherespectinwhichweholdantiquity.Often,totakejustonexample,asinglefragmentofanantiquestatuewillbepurchasedatenormousexpense…Hewillgiveitaplaceofhonourinhishouseandallowthosewhoaspiretobesculptorstocopyit.Think,ontheotherhand,oftheimmenselyskillfuldeedsthehistorybooksrecordforus…Thesedeedsmaybeadmired,buttheyarescarcelyimitated.”

ThePrince:AGifttotheprince

“IhavenotfoundamongmybelongingsanythingIprizesomuchorvaluesohighlyasmyknowledgeoftheactionsofgreatmen,acquiredthroughlongexperienceofcontemporaryaffairsandextendedreadinginantiquity.”

TheNatureofPolitics

•  AbreakwithAristotle’s“manisapoliticalanimal”

Machiavelli:nothingnaturaltothepolis•  Abreakwithmedievalphilosophy:governingistofollowthepreceptsofChristiantheology:i.e.loveyourenemy.

Machiavelli:politicsisautonomousandcanbebasedonrationalknowledge

PrincipalitiesandRepublics

principalities

hereditaryrecent

foundations

annexedbya

hereditaryprince

freestates

accustomedtotheruleof

anotherprince

brand-new

Republics

Thestudyofpolitics

•  “Agreatmanymenhaveimaginedstatesandprincedomssuchasnobodyeversaworknewintherealworld,andthere’ssuchadifferencebetweenthewaywereallyliveandthewayweoughttolivethatthemanwhoneglectstherealtostudytheidealwilllearnhowtoaccomplishhisruin,nothissalvation.”

Founderofmodernpoliticalthought

•  Separationofmoralityandpolitics:•  Nodivinelegitimacy;aboutstatecraft-theartofruling

•  Thenewprince:nolegitimacy–newtotheterritoryandthepeople.

•  Secularizationofpolitics•  Comparativemethodacrosstimeandspace:universalityofpolitics.

•  Machiavellithinkspoliticsintermsofpartisanship.

TeacheroftheEvilortheGalileoofPolitics?

TeacherofEvil“MurderousMachiavelli”(Shakespeare),“oldNick”,“teacheroftheevil”(LeoStrauss)“Theendjustifiesthemeans”and“reasonofstate”Machiavellian/ism:deceit,manipulationMachiavelliasa“proto-fascist”

TheGalileoofPolitics•  FrancisBacon(1561-1626):

Machiavelliisthefirsttoapproachpoliticswithanempiricalmethodologybyfocusingonwhatpoliticalstatesmendo,notwhattheyshoulddo.

•  DenisDiderotEncyclopédie:ThePrinceisnotapraiseoftyrannybutasatireunveilingtheropesofpoliticalpower.

•  Cassirer:TheGalileoofpolitics:radicalchangeofperspectiveonpolitics:itssecularization.

fortunaandvirtù,•  Fortune:aRomanGoddess;Christianity,divineprovidence.

•  ForMachiavelli:“StillratherthangiveupourfreewillaltogetherIthinkitmaybetruethatFortunegovernshalfofouractions,but…sheleavestheotherhalfmoreorlessinourpowertocontrol.”

Twometaphors

•  Fortune,themetaphorofariver:shedirectsherfurywheretherearenodykesanddamswhichisthepresentconditionofItaly:Germany,SpainandFrancecaninvadeItaly.

•  Fortune,themetaphorofawoman“ButIdofeelthis:thatitisbettertoberashthantimid,forFortuneisawoman,andthemanwhowantstoholdherdownmustbeatandbullyher.”(ch.25,69)

virtù

•  Notbasedonmorality,•  Skillsofthenewprincetokeephisdominion.•  FromAristotlematter/formdistinction:•  Fortunaisthematter,virtùgivesititsform.•  virtù:freewill(i.e.Lucretius,DeRerumNatura)

Thenatureofmen

•  “Thisiswhyarmedprophetsalwayswinandunarmedprophetslose.Apartfromallthefactorsconsideredabove,itisthenatureofpeopletobefickle;topersuadethemofsomethingiseasy,buttomakethemstandfastinthatconvictionishard”

Ch.26:“AnexhortationtorestoreItalytolibertyandfreeherfromthe

Barbarians”

•  Italyis“moreenslavedthantheHebrews,moreoppressedthanthePersians,moredefenselessthantheAthenians.Shehasnoleader,noorganization.… Thisbarbarianoccupationstinksinournostrils!”

WasMachiavellimachiavellian?

•  Whythenmakepublicthesecretsofpower?•  Machiavelliisnotanaidetotheprince,butanembarrassment.

•  AntonioGramsci,jailedbyMussolini,TheModernPrinceisnotapersonbutapoliticalparty.

•  IfMachiavelliwasnotadvisingthosewhoalreadypracticepoliticsthewayhedescribesthentowhomthebookwasaddressed?Tothepeople,thosewhodonotknowandarebarredfromparticipatinginpolitics.

Questions

•  DoyouthinkMachiavelliadvocatestyranny?Istherealimittorulingbyfear?

•  Howdo“observation”and“nature”compareandcontrastinGalileo,Vasari,andMachiavelli?