Niccol

1
Niccolò Machiavelli

• A Man of Reason

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• Born in 1469
• Citizen of Florence
• Classical education
• Secretary of State 1498 to 1512
• Ambassador to France, Germany, England
• Exiled in 1512 by Medici
• Died in 1527

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Patriot vs Despot

• Machiavelli
• Republican Government
• Loyal to Country
• Strategist
• Medici
• Feudal Government
• Loyal to Selves
• Unwise Alliances

4
from The Prince

• And you have to understand this, that a prince,
  especially a new one, cannot observe all those
  things for which men are esteemed, being often
  forced, in order to maintain the state, to act
  contrary to faith, friendship, humanity, and
  religion.
• And again, he need not make himself uneasy at
  incurring a reproach for those vices without
  which the state can only be saved with
  difficulty, for if everything is considered
  carefully, it will be found that something which
  looks like virtue, if followed, would be his
  ruin whilst something else, which looks like
  vice, yet followed brings him security and
  prosperity.
• I say that all men when they are spoken of, and
  chiefly princes for being more highly placed, are
  remarkable for some of those qualities which
  bring them either blame or praise and thus it is
  that one is reputed liberal, another
  miserly...one is reputed generous, one rapacious
  one cruel, one compassionate one faithless,
  another faithful one effeminate and cowardly,
  another bold and brave one affable, another
  haughty one lascivious, another chaste one
  sincere, another cunning one hard, another easy
  one grave, another frivolous one religious,
  another unbelieving, and the like. And I know
  that every one will confess that it would be most
  praiseworthy in a prince to exhibit all the above
  qualities that are considered good but because
  they can neither be entirely possessed nor
  observed, for human conditions do not permit it,
  it is necessary for him to be sufficiently
  prudent that he may know how to avoid the
  reproach of those vices which would lose him his
  state and also to keep himself, if it be
  possible, from those which would not lose him it
  but this not being possible, he may with less
  hesitation abandon himself to them.

5
from Discourses on Livy

• Among all men who have been praised, the most
  lauded are those who are heads and establishers
  of Religion. Next after them are those who have
  founded Republics or Kingdoms. After these are
  celebrated those who have commanded armies, (and)
  who have enlarged the (territory) of their
  Kingdom of those of their country. To these
  should be added men of letters, and because these
  are of many fields, they are celebrated according
  to their degree (of excellence)...None the less,
  however, nearly all men deceived by a false good
  or a false glory allow themselves to drift either
  voluntarily or ignorantly into the ranks of those
  who merit more censure that praise. And being
  able to establish either a Kingdom or a Republic
  with eternal honor to themselves, they turn to
  Tyranny, nor do they see because of this action
  how much fame, how much glory, how much honor,
  security, and tranquil satisfaction of the mind,
  they lose and how much infamy, disgrace,
  censure, danger, and disquiet, they incur.
• But as to prudence and stability, I say, that a
  people is more prudent, more stable, and of
  better judgment than a Prince And not without
  reason is the voice of the people like that of
  God, for a universal opinion is seen causes
  marvelous effects in its prognostication, so that
  it would seem that by some hidden virtu, evil or
  good is foreseen. As to the judging of things, it
  is rarely seen that when they hear two speakers
  who hold opposite views, if they are of equal
  virtu, they do not take up the the better
  opinion, and they are capable of seeing the truth
  in what they hear...It will also be seen that in
  the election of their magistrates, they make by
  far a better selection than a Prince, but a
  people will never be persuaded that it is better
  to bring to that dignity a man of infamous and
  corrupt habits to which a Prince may be
  persuaded easily and in a thousand ways.

6
The J Curve
Principality
Republic
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East vs West

• Confucius
• Ideal
• Etiquette
• Relative Ethics
• Loyalty
• Machiavelli
• Practical
• Strategy
• Descriptive Ethics
• Loyalty

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Contribution to Ethics

• Empirical thought progression, similar to
  scientific deduction
• Descriptive ethics real behavior versus ideal
  behavior
• Utilitarianism the greatest good for the most
  people justifies actions of princes and
  commanders
• Deontology a persons role justifies their
  actions
• Virtue Ethics exceptions to rules based on the
  example of heros
• Reason associating cause and effect, costs and
  benefits
• Detailed study of the physical and moral
  consequences of political actions