niccolò machiavelli the prince · 2020-03-18 · machiavelli as a “proto-fascist” the galileo...
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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?