Machiavelli's Religion

Decent Essays
Show More
Besides being very innovative and realistic, the text of Machiavelli was since its first publication in contrast with the doctrines promoted by Catholicism. The language in which it was written, the vulgar, made it accessible to a large number of people who were able to spread his innovative ideas.
Machiavelli introduced the separation of morality and ethics from politics. He was convinced that religion is an instrumentum regni which hold firm and unite people in the name of a single faith .The religion for Machiavelli is therefore a state religion and it can be used for political ends, is it therefore an instrument of which the prince can obtain common consent from the people. Consent is considered essential by the Florentine secretary,

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    What Is Machiavelli's Purpose Of The Prince
    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages

    What Is Machiavelli's Purpose Of The Prince

    Machiavelli’s reputation rests primarily on his works, The Prince, this brought him a reputation as an atheist and an immoral cynic. The Prince is an extended analysis of how to obtain and preserve…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Machiavelli's Purpose Of The Prince
    • 1888 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Machiavelli's Purpose Of The Prince

    Niccolò Machiavelli is smart and a strategic author. There are many ways on how to interpret his famous work, “The Prince”. It is intriguing that Machiavelli did not provide a title for the book. In doing so, Machiavelli shows his strategic writing to challenge the reader. To read the book and accept it in a literal sense is questionable.…

    • 1888 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Machiavelli
    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Compare And Contrast Thoreau And Machiavelli

    Contrarily Machiavelli is targeting the audience of a ruler, not of one being…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Machiavelli's Purpose Of Government Summary
    • 1503 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Machiavelli's Purpose Of Government Summary

    Machiavelli begins with more protectionist view of the congregation, in that the people did not need laws before they felt the need, which shows to prove that the people living in the Machiavelli’s idea of state of nature wished for physical protections first, rather than legal protections over their properties. In contrast, Locke theorizes that the people voluntarily decided to gather to establish a contract between the sovereignty and the people, so that the property rights can be protected. The aim of the government is explicitly stated, and the establishment of the legislative branch being concurrent to the establishment of the executive body implicitly point to the motivation of the social cohesion. However, it is arguable that Machiavellian rationale for the institution of a republican government gradually evolves into the one that is alike to the Lockean rationale for sovereignty, in that the legislation of the constitution is due to the societal pressure to punish those who may harm the others. The mutual agreement for a need of the legislation can be practically identical to consenting to an establishment for civil…

    • 1503 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Machiavelli Discourse On Livy Analysis
    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Machiavelli Discourse On Livy Analysis

    Machiavelli wrote his Discourses on Livy in 1517, as a response to the Roman historian Livy, in which he goes in depth about his take on republican ideals, including the guardianship of liberty, the effects of religion on the state, and the danger of conspiracies against the sovereign. He argues about who should be responsible for guarding the liberty of the republic, whether or not this power should reside with the people or the noble classes, using the political structure of ancient Rome and of Venice as evidence for his theories. In chapter 12, Machiavelli elaborates on the causes of the disunity of the Italian state, and why religion is responsible for this, being that the Church is both to weak to hold supreme hold over Italy and yet too…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Comparing Socrates And Machiavelli's The Prince
    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Comparing Socrates And Machiavelli's The Prince

    He is writing this text in order to counsel and influence the minds of rulers or as he calls them, “Princes”. Machiavelli calls for the separation of politics and ethics. Machiavelli does not like Christianity and despises the Holy Roman Empire, as he does not believe Princes should submit to a set of grandiose ideals. Rather a prince should take whatever action is necessary to prolong his rule and protect the state, regardless of religious or ethical considerations. Machiavelli provides a harsh, sometimes callous version of complete and outright…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Machiavelli's Ultimate Goal Was To Be Reinstated Into The Government
    • 130 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Machiavelli's Ultimate Goal Was To Be Reinstated Into The Government

    The section is stating that Machiavelli's ultimate goal was to be reinstated into the government. Which led to a conclusion that he didn't believe some of what he has written. Instead he used ideas that would impress the superiors at the time. Giving the current rulers what they would have wanted to hear, his cynical ultimatum could have just been to win their favor. Machiavelli's goal pertains to what most politicians and people of power do today, except the roles were switched and we're the ones being won over.…

    • 130 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Niccolo Machiavelli And The Prince
    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Niccolo Machiavelli And The Prince

    As above-mentioned, we must clear that Machiavelli is not the person who advocated bad morality. On the contrary, he thought that the morality and religious would have a great influence of society. He also thought that a country would not have a good organization without good virtue. So we must combined with the specific time and background when we try to understand who was Niccolo Machiavelli and why he wrote the book. Otherwise, it will result in many misunderstanding of…

    • 1199 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Machiavelli's Summary
    • 2626 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Machiavelli's Summary

    PART A. IDENTIFICATIONS 3. “This division of labor, from which so many advantages are derived, is not originally the effect of any human wisdom…it is the necessary consequence of a certain propensity in human nature…to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another.” Adam Smith (pg.21) - In this quote, Adam Smith introduces the idea that although the specialization of skills in division of labor leads to efficiency when it comes to production, this is bad for the people because they lose other skills. People are so focused on their specialty that their other skills are not improved upon and start to deteriorate so they become good for one thing, their specialty.…

    • 2626 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Comparing Machiavelli's The Prince And The Discourses
    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Comparing Machiavelli's The Prince And The Discourses

    The paper would give a small biographical section on Machiavelli describing his life, but more importantly how he arrived at his state of mind concerning religion. He needs placement within the context of his society and peers as well. His internal fight with humanism largely played a role in shaping his worldview. However, the paper focus’s mainly on The Prince and the Discourses of Livy in an effort to note the way in which Machiavelli portrays religion. From there the project would look at the influence of the ancient writings and religion on Machiavelli.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    What Are The Similarities Between John Locke And Machiavelli
    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Are The Similarities Between John Locke And Machiavelli

    Machiavelli believes that the ruler must take things into his hands and not depend on God to help him rule. The ruler has to work and be worthy of the…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Machiavelli The Prince Satire Analysis
    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Machiavelli The Prince Satire Analysis

    “The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.” Machiavelli uses this analogy as an attempt to teach the masses how to embrace their human significance. Machiavelli wrote The Prince at a time where there was political unrest and confusion in Italy, which is why it can be interpreted in many different ways, such as a political satire or epilogue of his political views; however, while the content may be confusing the true meaning of The Prince is to be understood as a satire. Machiavelli is continuously sarcastic through out the course of the novel about the government standings and the changing world.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Great Essays

    Leo Strauss's Thoughts Of Machiavelli As A Teacher Of Evil
    • 2341 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Leo Strauss's Thoughts Of Machiavelli As A Teacher Of Evil

    These examples include Machiavelli’s discussion of murder, robbery, and ingratitude (Jackson p.45). For example, Machiavelli suggests that the measures men like King David, ancestor of Jesus, must employ at the beginning of their reign, in order to establish their states, are “most cruel and inimical, not only to every Christian manner of living but to every human manner of living as well (Strauss p.49) .” Strauss does not make an exhaustive critic of Machiavelli’s work, but rather a comprehensive one. Strauss considered Machiavelli to be an extraordinary political philosopher, but he argued that Machiavelli’s work must be considered within the context of the Renaissance (Jackson p.32). Strauss argues that Machiavelli was a true enemy of true faith, calling him immoral and irreligious (Jackson p.41).…

    • 2341 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Authority In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince
    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Authority In Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

    In many political philosopher’s eyes, there is a special relationship between the ideas of moral goodness and legitimate authority. Some of these political philosophers believed that the use of political power was only morally correct if it was exercised under a ruler who had virtuous morals. These rulers who had virtuous morals were then told that in order to be successful, they needed to make decisions in accordance with the standards of ethical goodness. This moralistic view of authority is what Machiavelli criticizes in his work “The Prince.” In Machiavelli’s book, “The Prince,” the readers are introduced to political values that do not necessarily give full recognition to morality or religion.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Machiavelli's View Of Virtue And Effective Rule
    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Machiavelli's View Of Virtue And Effective Rule

    In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli’s understanding of virtue and effective rule emphasizes the maintenance of political power and the disregard for morality, differing from the ideology of the classic political philosophers. Machiavelli’s concept of virtue is centered around the glorification of a ruler, facilitated by behavioural traits such as bravery, cleverness, deceptiveness, and ruthlessness. Effective rule requires these attributes, as the successful application of these characteristics towards the acquisition and maintenance of power will allow one to become a powerful leader. Machiavelli first explains the foundations of various principalities, such as hereditary and mixed principalities, as the maintenance of power differs…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2024 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings