Machiavelli The Prince

Nichole Jackson (Student No.13003235)

Key Concepts of Cultural Analysis: Production of the Human

Critical Commentary

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince addressed the problem of the ethics of rule from the viewpoint of both the prince and the people. Machiavelli sought to theorise how to construct a form of rule that combined both ethics and fear under conditions of circumstances.1 In order to provide background, it should be noted that this political manifesto was written in Florence, in the context of political upheavals of Renaissance Italy where there were pressing contemporary issues associated with the problems of Italian unification and the subordinate place of Italy in the structures of international relations.2 Machiavelli makes a number

It is able to protect against the wolves (savage opposition) which is inevitable when you are in a position of power. The fox is cunning and sly and represents the wisdom needed to recognise traps that lay in wait for the prince. Machiavelli stresses the importance of encompassing both of these beastly traits. If keeping his promise puts a prince at a disadvantage, then he should break that promise.5 His view of human nature is predominately negative and advises that if man were inherently good then the concept of beastly power would be irrelevant however he says ‘men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need not keep your word to them’.6 Machiavelli held a very negative view of human nature. He believed man to be fickle, disloyal and self-preserving. Therefore, a prince should not expect consistency from his subjects as their allegiance is easily swayed when they are offered the opportunity of a better fortune. Here, Machiavelli outlines the duality of human nature and in which ways a prince could manipulate this aspect of his subjects in order to maximise his power as a

Natural law produces binding rules of moral behaviour. They contribute to the debate of idealism vs. pragmatism in which the belief that being practical and having moral principles are in direct opposition and you cannot encompass both. This deems idealism and pragmatism mutually exclusive which is not necessarily correct as there is a possibility that moral interests could become the means by which a person could deem what is practical or not. In this chapter he states that there is a significant gap between how people actually live and how they ought to live and that anyone who declines to behave as people do is gearing themselves up for disaster. Historically leaders who have demonstrated beastly power has always found a way to make excuses for breaking their promises. In this instance, imitating the fox is best. ‘Men are so simple, and so much creatures of circumstance, that the deceiver will always find someone ready to be deceived.’7 Machiavelli insists that mankind lacks ambition and will readily go along with the status quo, rendering them incapable of making the best decisions for themselves. He advises that they need to be managed through a carefully calibrated balance of violence and