Machiavelli 17 and 18

Chapter 18

The Centaur Chiron

There are two ways for human beings to be controlled

  • By law - proper for human beings

  • By force - proper for beasts

However, we must resort to the second since people cannot live up to what we need them to be.

A prince should adopt the traits of a lion and a fox. To be courageous and to be clever.

Do not keep the faith if that will be a vulnerability for you.

Machiavelli thinks human beings are bad, if we were good we wouldn’t have to do this.

  1. We should keep the faith

  2. Be both human and beast

  3. Prudence

  • If human beings were good we wouldn’t have this problem, but humans are bad so we can’t trust them.

Be a fox and a lion

  1. The lion

  • Lion is powerful “push through”

  1. The fox

  • It’s better to be a fox, so that you’re clever and deceitful.

  • Intelligence will work better to survive

  1. Machiavelli’s judgement

  • You should have both to be a successful leader

  • But if you have to be one be a fox

If you are in fact clever and a fox, you must disguise it.

You don’t really need to be THAT cunning or that clever, because people are so simple.

You must resort to faithlessness yourself. However, people will not trust you if you’re known as somebody who does not keep their promises.

  • Human beings want to be deceived; people are often driven by present necessities and ignore the long-term effects.

  • People wanted someone to be powerful, and that’s how Alexander VI topped Cesare

Therefore, it’s unnecessary for the prince to have all the qualities, but you should appear to have them.

  • If you actually had them that would be bad.

Religious is the quality you must always appear as

The few people who know who you truly are will not be believed over what the people think.

  • The people want to be deceived; they don’t want to know you’re a bad person.

  • “The many” judge based off results

Appearance = reality

  1. Self control

  • You cannot say anything that would suggest you are but morally excellent.

  1. Who are you?

  • The people who know who you are are politically powerless.

  1. People will defend you

  • If you have power and an image, you will be defended, because now it matters to them.

  • You provide comfort for them that somebody actually controls what happens to them.

The Ends Justify the Means

  • It’s only a true failure if you don’t have an end.

  • Machiavelli is Chiron; you must be both human and rule through laws, but also through force and cunning.

  • Political preservation requires force, deception, and success, and public judgement will follows the outcome.

Chapter 17

Cesare Borgia came in, applied cruelty, got order.

You CAN be seen as cruel, because with a few examples you can have better outcomes than those who let too much disorder slide. You must exert cruelty on a handful of people.

  • The people will judge you an ineffectual if you are merciful if that leads them to disorder and chaos.

Cruelty can be well used

  • When the Florentines were merciful, disorder ensued

Machiavelli claims even the ancients agreed with him, they just hid it.

It’s best to be both loved and feared, but if you can’t have both, then choose fear.

It’s easier to rely on people who are scared of you.

Fear is based on punishment and is stable.

However, you should avoid being hated.

Hatred happens largely through the seizure of property

  • Kill the dad don’t take the inheritance

When a prince is with his soldiers/army it is important he is hated.

Hannibal was notoriously cruel, and without that cruelty his other virtues would not have been sufficient.

Machiavelli is about control

Politics is not about moral self expression, it’s about stability, control, and predictability.