Dr, Kaushik Mitra,
Head,
Department of Political Science, Lucknow Christian Degree College, Lucknow.. U.P. India.
Machiavelli continued......
SEMESTER IV.
TOPIC: MACHIAVELLI
ADVICE
TO PRINCE
Ø He
advised the ruler to construct his policies on the assumption that men are bad
so he should aim to be feared rather than loved.
Ø As
man judges by appearances crafty rulers should take advantage of it.
Ø Property
and life are universal desire of menhence governments should aim at providing security
to both of these.
Ø The
ruler should depend on his own judgment and never trust his counsellors
RELIGION
AND MORALITY
Ø He
initiated the process of completely and deliberately separating politics from
ethics and religion.
Ø In
'Discourses' he held that religion made men feeble and therefore, an easy prey
to evil minded men.
Ø His
concern was limited to the attainment and maintenance of power. In this regard
he was the forerunner of Marx.
Ø He
was rather unmoral not immoral.
Ø This
was practically involved in works of Aristotlebut was not essential in his
system.
STATE
Ø His
interest was in the practical state and his pragmatism lead him 'to get back to
the actual truth of things '.
Ø He
repudiated the idea that the State is a part of the Divine order and could be
understood only in the light of the Divine plan.
Ø He
makes materialistic individualism the explanation for love of independence and
self-government.
Ø This
idea was later taken up by Marx on the basis of economic forces.
Ø People
desire Republican government as it gives a chance of material gain to a
majority of the people.
SOVEREIGNTY
Ø His
idea of sovereignty and corresponding idea of the territorial national -state
is an important contribution of Machiavelli according to Jones.
Ø His
idea of a central authority which is supreme over other institutions was
significant in separating Ancient from Modern Political Theory.
TO BE CONTINUED.....................
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