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Ideas of Niccolo Machiavelli, by Text

[Italian, 1469 - 1527, Born and died in Florence. Worked for the Medici family in Florence. Driven into exile.]

1513	The Prince

	p.674	7486	Machiavelli emancipated politics from religion
			Full Idea: Machiavelli emancipated politics from religion.
			From: report of Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513]) by Peter Watson - Ideas Ch.24
			A reaction: Interestingly, he seems to have done it by saying that ideals are irrelevant to politics, but gradually secular ideals crept back in (sometimes disastrously). A balance needs to be struck on idealism.

Ch.11	p.90	6309	The principle foundations of all states are good laws and good armies
			Full Idea: The principle foundations of all states are good laws and good armies.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.11)
			A reaction: We may be wondering, since 1945, whether a good army is any longer essential, but it would be a foolish modern state which didn't at least form a strong alliance with a state which had a strong army. Fertile land is a huge benefit to a state.

Ch.18	p.107	7127	If men are good you should keep promises, but they aren't, so you needn't
			Full Idea: If all men were good, promising-breaking would not be good, but because they are bad and do not keep their promises to you, you likewise do not have to keep yours to them.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.18)
			A reaction: A rather depressing proposal to get your promise-breaking in first, based on the pessimistic view that people cannot be improved. The subsequent history of ethics in Europe showed Machiavelli to be wrong. Gentlemen began to keep their word.

Ch.3	p.61	6305	To retain a conquered state, wipe out the ruling family, and preserve everything else
			Full Idea: If a ruler acquires a state and is determined to keep it, he observes two cautions: he wipes out the family of their long-established princes; and he does not change either their laws or their taxes; in a short time they will unite with his old princedom.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.3)
			A reaction: This nicely illustrates the firmness of purpose for which Machiavelli has become a byword. The question is whether Machiavelli had enough empirical evidence to support this induction. The British in India seem to have been successful without it.

Ch.3	p.62	6306	People are vengeful, so be generous to them, or destroy them
			Full Idea: Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.3)
			A reaction: This sounds like good advice, and works quite well in school teaching too. It seems like advice drawn from the growth of the Roman Empire, rather than from dealing with sophisticated and educated people.

Ch.3	p.65	6307	A desire to conquer, and men who do it, are always praised, or not blamed
			Full Idea: It is very natural and normal to wish to conquer, and when men do it who can, they always will be praised, or not blamed.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.3)
			A reaction: This view seems shocking to us, but it seems to me that this was a widely held view up until the time of Nietzsche, but came to a swift end with the invention of the machine gun in about 1885, followed by the heavy bomber and atomic bomb.

Ch.8	p.83	6308	A sensible conqueror does all his harmful deeds immediately, because people soon forget
			Full Idea: A prudent conqueror makes a list of all the harmful deeds he must do, and does them all at once, so that he need not repeat them every day, which then makes men feel secure, and gains their support by treating them well.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Prince [1513], Ch.8)
			A reaction: This might work for a new government in a democracy, or a new boss in a business. It sounds horribly true; dreadful deeds done a long time ago can be completely forgotten, as when reformed criminals become celebrities.

1520	The Discourses

1.11	p.165	19813	All legislators invoke God in support of extraordinary laws, because their justification is not obvious
			Full Idea: There has never been a single legislator who, in proposing extraordinary laws, did not have recourse to God, for otherwise they would not be accepted, since many benefits known to a prudent man do not have evident persuasive reasons.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Discourses [1520], 1.11), quoted by Jean-Jacques Rousseau - The Social Contract (tr Cress) II.7 n8
			A reaction: It does seem to be an important role for God and state religion, to give support to decisions and laws which might not be intrinsically popular.

I.12	p.169	7126	Rulers should preserve the foundations of religion, to ensure good behaviour and unity
			Full Idea: It is the duty of the rulers of a republic or a kingdom to preserve the foundations of the religion they hold; if they do this, it will be an easy thing for them to keep their state religious, and consequently good and united.
			From: Niccolo Machiavelli (The Discourses [1520], I.12)
			A reaction: This is the germ of Marx's view, that the sole role of religion is political, as a tool used by the ruling classes to keep the populace in their place. The same idea can be found in Critias (Idea 542). But what is wrong with some central moral guidance?