Should Leaders be moral Machiavellis Prince PHIL 1003

Should Leaders be moral? Machiavelli’s Prince PHIL 1003 2008 -09

Tutorial assignments • Please submit directly to Dr Cook or Arthur the week of the tutorials; • Assignment is explained in the course outline, p. 2.

Ancients’ Legacy • St. Augustine – The polis (city of Man < city of God) – The rule of reason over the passions: • Problem of Sin and Evil (human enslavement to passions). • Machiavelli – The idea of the res publica (public thing/polis) – Aristocratic rule: rule by the best (Aristotle)

Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469 -1527

Who was Machiavelli? • Italian writer and statesman • Context: – many small, rival Italian states; – interference by France, Holy Roman Empire • Served famous Medici rulers of Florence (city-state) • Was disgraced, imprisoned and retired to his farm • Author of – – The Prince, one of many handbooks for princes The Discourses (commentary on an ancient history of Rome); A history of Florence; A work on war.

Machiavelli’s name became synonymous with evil: “Machiavellian” (adj. ) a “Machiavel” (noun)

Who was “the Prince”? • Cesare Borgia, 1476 -1507 • Illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI; sister of infamous Lucrezia Borgia (poisoner) • Became ruler of the Romagna in Italy • Lost his state after his father’s death; • Died in a street fight in Spain; • Keys to his success: – His father’s power and his own ruthless methods. – execution of own cruel deputy, Remirro de Orco (cut in half in the marketplace).

Cesare Borgia

Machiavelli’s doctrine • Leader should not be moral; • Conventional Christian virtues: – charity, – doing good to others (Golden Rule), – obeying 10 Commandments, – worshipping God. • Why should the (new) Prince not practice these virtues?

What does the Prince need? • Needs power, to maintain his position • Should do anything he can to to retain it; • Should use ruthless methods: – murder, lying, and any other crime necessary; • A new prince “cannot observe all those things which give men a reputation for virtue” (101).

Machiavelli’s question about princes and the people’s affections • “whether it is better to be loved than feared or the reverse”? • “one would like to be both…but because it is difficult to combine them, it is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both” (96). • Do you think statesmen today should follow this rule? • Does the character of the state play any role?

Cruelty used badly or well (pp. 65 -6) • Used well: – – Once and for all—a few acts as examples (95); Better than repeated disorder (95); Necessary; Easily forgotten if not repeated. • Used badly: – – Habitual; Evident; Becomes necessary to maintain power; Examples?

Cruelty is like an antibiotic Use it swiftly and not for too long. Too much compassion can be worse, allowing for prolonged civil unrest.

Why? Human nature (96 -7): • • Ungrateful Fickle Lying Cowardly; will betray anyone to save oneself, especially a ruler whom one does not fear; • Greedy; ruler must avoid taking subjects’ property and women; • Simple-minded: someone is always ready to be deceived (100); • Men judge by their eyes rather than by their hands (101).

Appearance of virtue is desirable (100): Compassionate, Faithful to his word, Guileless, Devout.

The Fox and the Lion • Prince must unite beast and man • Fox: defenseless against wolves, but recognizes traps • Lion: defenseless against traps, but frightens off wolves • Hence, be “a great liar and deceiver”; • “…those who have known best how to imitate the fox have come off best” (100).

The Discourses • Commentary on a history of ancient Rome; • Masses may rule well: – “when the populace is in power and is well-ordered, it will be stable, prudent and grateful”; – “in much the same way, or in a better way, than a prince, however wise he be thought”. • “a prince who contemns the laws, will be more ungrateful, fickle and imprudent than is the populace”; • “…government by the populace is better than government by princes” (sec. I. 58).

Comparison w/ Aristotle • A. gave a qualified approval to democracy • A king or a few is/are easier to corrupt than a large number of people; • The people exhibit ‘collective wisdom’; • They are the ones being ruled, and so should be the judges of that rule; – No matter what the regime: kinship/tyranny, aristocracy/oligarchy, democracy; • Just as the diners at a restaurant may judge the quality of the chef.

Questions • How would you apply Machiavelli’s doctrines from The Prince today? – To leaders? – To states? • Are they more applicable to leaders or to states, or equally so?