To what extent can Machiavelli be said to be a moral thinker?

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Samantha Whyte 06375332

To what extent can Machiavelli be said to be a moral thinker?

Machiavelli’s name has become inextricably linked with those who act deceitfully and unscrupulously in order to satisfy their own needs and desires. The term ‘Machiavellian’ is a distinctly pejorative and usually levelled at those who are considered to be ‘immoral’. However, this is a rather fatuous understanding of Machiavelli’s philosophy; his theories may accommodate immoral acts but those acts are not egoistic, they are intended to preserve a stable state arising from concern for the political good as well as the moral good from which all ultimately benefit.  It may be the case that the political and moral good sometimes conflict, in which case the former should take precedence as this will allow the moral good to endure in the long run.

        Machiavelli has the distinction of being the first political philosopher to operate within a secular, humanist tradition. This may be why his theories have endured so long as ‘he brought to the field of political enquiry the scientific spirit of detachment, which like a steel frame holds together his doctrines and gives them durability’ (10). He was able to cast off the shackles of fatalism and formulate ideas that he believed would benefit society immediately, in utilitarian rather than spiritual terms. In other words he was the first to view politics as an autonomous activity directed towards long-term societal welfare rather than some mythical ‘higher purpose’. This is a departure from the previous belief that there was a higher order and morality than that achieved by the state. This in itself is a moral judgement; the notion of the welfare of the human being now had as having intrinsic value had been revived. The earthly welfare of the human being was now significant rather than the spiritual welfare in preparation for the passage into the City of God. It is how Machiavelli believed this immediate welfare should be achieved that is morally dubious but it is hard to argue that the system has no moral dimension.

         Machiavelli’s opposition to the Church was not borne of a deep theological conviction but of purely political considerations. He observed that ‘it is the Church that has kept and keeps Italy divided ’(9) but he was also aware of potential utility of religion as a political tool. When explaining ‘Ecclesiastical principalities’ he talks of the Church working in conjunction with the prince in order to keep the citizens united and subservient. This seems to be a principle adopted by many in subsequent years; there are many examples where the Church does seem to have been primarily a tool of the state.

        Machiavelli admired the practical power of the Church but considered it to be morally incomplete. The Church’s focus was entirely on individual morality and left no room for vice even when used in pursuit of the common good. It was not simply theological dogma that Machiavelli was departing from; he was also departing from metaphysics and moral philosophy. In this sense at least he is not a moral thinker, moral judgements are value judgements whereas Machiavelli believed himself to be operating scientifically and objectively concluding that the conflict between politics and theology was simply a brute fact. It could be argued that is he were a moral thinker he would have attempted to resolve this conflict rather than embracing it.

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        Machiavelli left no single, comprehensive political text but there are two texts that are our primary source of understanding his political model: The Prince (1) and Discourses (2). Both were inspired by historical examples but whereas other thinkers of the time simply followed examples of history, Machiavelli gained a deeper insight into why these examples had been so successful with particular reference to the Roman Republic. Both texts illustrate Machiavelli’s belief that the common good was best served by a strong state with a virtuous leader; virtuous in this context meaning manly, but also cunning ...

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