Machiavelli
Introduction
Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance philosopher, writer and diplomat known and
considered as the beginner of the modern political philosophy and political science
Life
Birthdate and birthplace: 1469 in Florence
Best titles: secretary to the second chancellery (1498); ambassador at Cesare Borgia’s court
(1502);
Events that in uenced his writing: Loss of all titles and Exile due to the return of the
Medici family in Florence and the fall of the Republic
Major works: The Prince (1513); Discourses on Livy (1517
Death date: 1527 in Florence
Political belief
He thinks that the Republic is the best form of government ,but he also thinks that the
Prince is the only authentic authority capable of bringing peace and order in Italy freeing
the country from the foreign occupation.
Philosophy
Realism: To follow the truth is essential; everything that cannot be known as true must be
thought as imagination
Men must be considered as what they are not as what they could b
Knowing history is helpful because events happen in cycle, so looking at the mistakes
from the past you can make things correctly in the present
Fortune and “Virtu
Fortune is a random force that put us in different situations and the biggest human limit.
Machiavelli compares it with a swollen river and the woman gure
The only thing that can be done to not be defeated by fortune is to practice virtu: knowing
when to act and when not; expecting what could happen and understanding the time in
which you live
1
Introduction
Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance philosopher, writer and diplomat known and
considered as the beginner of the modern political philosophy and political science
Life
Birthdate and birthplace: 1469 in Florence
Best titles: secretary to the second chancellery (1498); ambassador at Cesare Borgia’s court
(1502);
Events that in uenced his writing: Loss of all titles and Exile due to the return of the
Medici family in Florence and the fall of the Republic
Major works: The Prince (1513); Discourses on Livy (1517
Death date: 1527 in Florence
Political belief
He thinks that the Republic is the best form of government ,but he also thinks that the
Prince is the only authentic authority capable of bringing peace and order in Italy freeing
the country from the foreign occupation.
Philosophy
Realism: To follow the truth is essential; everything that cannot be known as true must be
thought as imagination
Men must be considered as what they are not as what they could b
Knowing history is helpful because events happen in cycle, so looking at the mistakes
from the past you can make things correctly in the present
Fortune and “Virtu
Fortune is a random force that put us in different situations and the biggest human limit.
Machiavelli compares it with a swollen river and the woman gure
The only thing that can be done to not be defeated by fortune is to practice virtu: knowing
when to act and when not; expecting what could happen and understanding the time in
which you live
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