Ends Justify Means: The Prince

The Prince (1513)

“Never do an enemy a minor injury.” Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 - 1527) was a renaissance man and the first modern political thinker on record. A commoner, Machiavelli hitched his star to the Republic of Florence and served 15 years as a public servant. On the collapse of the Republic, Machiavelli was out of a job. To curry favor with the powers-that-be, he turned to writing, dedicating The Prince to Florentine ruler Lorenzo de Medici.

The Prince was aimed at what Machiavelli assumed to be the tastes of de Medici, favoring harsh measures consistent with princely rule, however the plan backfired, Machiavelli did not get the job, de Medici was eventually ousted, but the returning republicans assumed Machiavelli’s amoral recommendations were his own and also refused to re-hire him. You can see even by this description of his marketing plan, that Machiavelli was a schemer, yet The Prince became among the most famous political texts of all time, spawned present-day realpolitik, and gave us the term Machiavellian to describe amoral, manipulative political maneuvering.

Far from idealistic, Machiavelli was concerned with the possible, a lesson that has not been lost on politicians since:

“How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation.”

To put it another way, Machiavelli applied scientific analysis to political phenomena, leaving ethical considerations by the wayside. Machiavelli understood that politics were strictly about getting and keeping power, and all other considerations were subordinated to these aims. His protagonists Popes Alexander VI and Julius II, and Cesare Borgia, while demonstrating the princely qualities set down as crucial by Machiavelli are among the most hated figures in history, with the popes branded as ungodly and occupying positions of ignominy through the ages.

The language of The Prince is courtly, and Machiavelli’s famous phrase “Fortune [luck] is a lady,” rather than a thing to be courted and begged is recommended to be seized and violated, bent to the prince‘s will. A thought perhaps more shocking in the 16th century, but still capable of evoking a gasp or two, if you think about it. This gives a small idea how far Machiavelli broke with the medieval tradition of chivalry and advanced political thought into the modern era.

The other main term introduced by Machiavelli is Virtu [power]. In the interplay between fortune and virtu, Machiavelli insists that virtu is ascendant. In fact, power can be used to manipulate and control luck. This revolutionary thought has passed down to us today in the form of the common proverb we all know “to seize opportunity.” Bet you didn't know that. ;>

The Prince is a fairly short book, but it provides a roadmap for a new prince to establish and keep power. First, wipe out the remnants of the old royal family, he advises. He advocates not changing laws to maintain continuity with the past; establishing colonies of loyal men among the various areas of the kingdom, and working to weaken the power of neighboring princes who may have an eye on his territory.

While much of Machiavelli’s advice might seem simple and self-evident to the unthinking, his system of attaining and keeping power revolutionized political thought and bears careful study for one who really wishes to understand the state of politics in the modern world.

Machiavelli also wrote a primer on raising and employing armies, The Art of War, which together with The Prince gives a fully rounded picture of his scheme for winning and retaining power. These two books can often be found in a single volume which gives an even better bang for the buck.

Folks interested in politics will find this essential reading and a gold mine of insight into how people say one thing and do another, which allows analysis of several social phenomena other than politics.

Read a good book today!