Machiavelli, born on the third of May 1469 in Florence, Italy, grew up to become one of the widely known philosophers of the time. Many people knew him because of his political ideologies. “The Prince” and the “Discourses on Livy” were his famous works of philosophy published after his demise. “The Prince” (Il Principe) was his most famous book which made many perceive him as an atheist and a cynic (Vivanti & MacMichael, 2019). Machiavelli’s philosophical legacy has remained mysterious to date. Niccolo Machiavelli’s legacy is drawn from “The Prince” and the “Discourses on Livy.” On a keen analysis, his writings on politics were intended to caution against the potential dangers of what is commonly referred to as “Machiavellianism” in present times. His two famous books presented radical ideas on politics, some of which included: Private and Public moral principles are sharply contrasting and that one cannot run the affairs of a state on grounds of ethical principles which people fail to appreciate. Because of this, in a bid to promote and maintain the welfare of both the citizenry and the state, any method that proves to be successful can be employed. This can even involve the use of lies. Many of Machiavelli’s critics were strongly opposed to this suggestion, despite the fact that many leaders of the world conducted their affairs in this manner, the reigning pope being included. Another of his suggestions asserted that any method that has been shown to work well is completely justifiable, even if it does not meet the ethical standards of the community. He emphasized his idea that what is justifiable for the nation is not justifiable for her people (Denhardt et al., 2018). In the contemporary world, this has been referred to as “realpolitik”, an approach that underscores the significance of “actual power” in determining how nations run their affairs. Machiavelli’s third assertion was that human behavior is strongly motivated and influenced by selfishness and a desire to prosper, whether they are doing it for the nation or for themselves. This doctrine has played an integral role in coming up with economic theories, forming the basis of capitalism. Other authors, for example, David Ricardo and Adam Smith, worked towards making an extension of these ideologies, but the original insight came from Niccolo Machiavelli (Vivanti & MacMichael, 2019). These political ideologies came as a shock to Europe, with widespread criticism from leaders in all spheres of life. The Catholic Church did not hesitate to ban the book “The Prince” and place it in its list of “forbidden books.” Other political players would praise or criticize the book based on their own political views. The term “Machiavellian” was thus coined to denote ruthlessness and deceitful scheming in almost all of the nations of Europe, with Machiavelli’s philosophy of “the end justifies the means” in politics having such a strong influence on Europe’s political history over the years (Denhardt et al., 2018). His ideas have helped in the establishment of the contemporary nation-state, and he has been recognized among the founders of Political Science many years following his death. Most recently, Russia’s Vladimir Putin has been considered a Machiavellian leader. He is known to have an inclination to the principle of “Realpolitik”, founded on a practical as opposed to a theoretical framework. He is ambitious, exploits every presenting opportunity, and has, in essence, being able to successfully manipulate the system to his own advantage.
References
Denhardt, R., Denhardt, J., & Aristigueta, M. (2018). [PDF] Managing Human Behavior in Public and Nonprofit Organizations. Retrieved 5 August 2020, from https://www.amazon.com/Managing-Behavior-Public-Nonprofit-Organizations/dp/1483359298.
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Vivanti, C., & MacMichael, S. (2019). Niccolò Machiavelli . Princeton University Press.
