College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education

2014/2015 – 2016/2017

1

POLI 341: ANCIENT AND

MEDIEVAL POLITICAL THOUGHT Session 13– NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI ON

RELIGION, MORALITY AND NEWLY

CONQUEREDSTATE

Lecturers: Dr. E. Aggrey-Darkoh & Mr Alex K.D. Frempong

Department of Political Science

Contact Information: eaggrey-darkoh@ug.edu.gh &

kaadupong2002@yahoo.co.uk

godsonug.wordpress.com/blog

Session Overview

• We are happy to introduce you to session 13: Machiavelli on Religion, Morality and the Newly Conquered State. IŶ this sessioŶ, MaĐhiaǀellis Attitude to religion which he claims is something that must be encouraged if the state is to be well governed but cautions the new prince not to dabble in it is seriously discussed we are interested in how the prince or ruler is able to govern effectively. We consider fundamentally the psychology of the ruler and the ruled with the intention of identifying some of key steps the ruler must take to control his people much more securely. Some authorities have contended that Machiavelli was immoral and will lead us into perdition because he was interested in getting the better of other people. This position is an overhasty generalization in that Machiavelli was interested in a well governed state and so in the circumstances that he found himself in Italy, the methods he prescribed appeared to be the best. MaĐhiaǀellis prefereŶĐes aŶd the justifiĐatioŶ for the use of Đruel ŵethods to achieve the desired ends in the state are also discussed. A treatment is also given to how the prince should handle his newly conquered state.

2

•

Session Outline

This session covers the following topics:

• Machiavelli on Law, Religion and Morality

• Virtue and Fortune

• The Preferences of Machiavelli

• The Four Groups found in a New State

3

TOPIC ONE

MACHIAVELLI ON LAW, RELIGION AND MORALITY

4

The use of Law and Force

• It is necessary for the Prince to know how to use laws and force. Law is good for men and force is good for beast. • But since the use of law is not always effective, it becomes

necessary to resort to the use of force. • A good prince should understand how to use both the

nature of man and that of beast. • It is necessary for the prince to know how to use both

natures, and that the use of one without the other has no stability.

• SiŶĐe a priŶĐe should kŶoǁ hoǁ to use the ďeasts Ŷature wisely, he ought to choose both the lion and the fox, for the lion cannot guard itself from the toils, or the fox from wolves.

• A good prince must therefore be a fox in order to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves 5

Machiavelli and Religion

• Nothing separates Machiavelli more sharply from his medieval predecessors than is attitude to religion.

• After studying the prevailing political situation Machiavelli arrived at the conclusion that the church was absolutely responsible for the degenerating condition of society.

• He therefore divorced politics from religion and morality.

• While mercy and liberality top the list of Christian virtues which the prince will be expected to practice, ruthlessŶess aŶd stiŶgiŶess head MaĐhiaǀellis list of princely virtues.

6

MaĐhiaǀelli aŶd ReligioŶ ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• He ŵaiŶtaiŶs that: our religion places the supreme

happiness in humility, lowlessness, and contempt for worldly objects, whilst the other on the contrary

places the supreme good in the grandeur of soul, strength of the body, and all such other qualities as

render men foƌŵidaďle…these pƌiŶĐiples seeŵ to ŵe to haǀe ŵade men feeble, and caused them to become

an easy prey to evil-minded men, who can control them more securely, seeing that the great body of men, for the sake of gaining paradise, are more

disposed to endure iŶjuƌies thaŶ to aǀeŶge theŵ”. 7

MaĐhiaǀelli aŶd ReligioŶ ;ĐoŶtdͿ

He is concerned with it only as an influence on political and social behaviour, as a system beliefs and ceremonies strengthening some motives and weakening others.

He puts founders of religions even higher on the roll of honour than founders of states. All founders of religion are, in his eyes, worthy of

honour; provided the religions they found support the kind of morality he admires or finds useful.

• He approves of the religion of the Romans because in his opinion it encourages virtues useful to the republic.

• Machiavelli did not care what people believed provided their beliefs were not harmful to the state. 8

MaĐhiaǀelli aŶd ReligioŶ ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• Religion has nothing to do with the realities of the

state; and only power and politics shall be the

chief concern of the ruler.

• He thus separates politics and power from religion and morality.

• As aŶ orthododž ChristiaŶs sole aiŵ is salǀatioŶ, so the sole aim of the prince is the unification and

welfare of the state

9

Morality and Politics

• There is a traditional view that Machiavelli is

merely a specialist in how to get the better of other people and that he is full of cynicism but in a world

full of evil men and women, particularly a ruler must lie, kill and betray friends if he is to survive. One cannot make omelets without breaking eggs

• Some have even argued that Machiavelli is an

agent of the devil who will lead us to perdition.

• While others contend that he is a righteous man who will lead us to salvation. 10

MoralitLJ aŶd PolitiĐs ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• MaĐhiaǀellis ǀieǁs are ŵoral aŶd Đalls for great saĐrifiĐes iŶ the name of these values. • He rejects the competing scale of values which were

popular in his days, namely the Christian values of humility, honesty, and liberality etc.

• He argues that human beings are not angels on earth otherwise his prescriptions will not be necessary.

• He does not say that men should become angels on earth. • Even if they become angels, then they are no longer

humans and therefore would no longer live in a political community. • He argues that men of sense will naturally want to live in a

state well-governed by its prince and feared by its neighbors.

• Nobody wants to live in a state which is weak and

vulnerable

to military takeovers. 11

MoralitLJ aŶd PolitiĐs ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• Following Aristotle, Machiavelli also asserts that human

beings cannot live outside a political society.

• He advices the victor in a war to make swift, sweep namely, new officials, new titles, new men, new power etc.

• The victor should make the poor rich and rich poor as KiŶg Daǀid did. For he gave riches to the poor and pluŶdeƌed the ǁealthy”.

• The victor should destroy the old city and he must transfer inhabitants from the old city and place them in the new city.

12

MoralitLJ aŶd PolitiĐs ;ĐoŶtdͿ

In short, the victor or the conqueror should leave nothing unchanged in the conquered land so that there should neither be rank, nor grade, nor honor, nor wealth that would not be recognized as coming from the ĐoŶƋueƌoƌ”.

Machiavelli maintains that these measures are cruel and destructive of all cities and must be avoided by everyone.

He posits that whoever wants to maintain his power must follow the evil course.

He cautions that men generally decide upon the

middle course which is extremely dangerous 13

TOPIC TWO

VIRTUE AND FORTUNE

14

Virtue and Fortune

• Machiavelli makes a distinction between what he Đalls virtu aŶd ordiŶarLJ goodŶess.

• BLJ virtu he ŵeaŶs ǀitalitLJ or eŶergLJ aŶd Đourage without regard to their objects, energy and

courage both for good and evil

• Qualities such as honesty, justice, devotion to duty, loyalty and patriotism – are necessary for good

citizenship.

15

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• He dislikes some of the qualities most admired by the whole- hearted Christian. • He dislikes the following:

– excessive humility. – asceticism and patience under injustice.

• He wants a man to have a proper sense of his own dignity, to resent an insult even more than an injury.

• He has high notion of what man owes to himself as to his neighbour. • To him, meekness/submissiveness is an invitation to others to

be unjust, and therefore, a bad quality in a citizen. • He approves of ambition, of passion for worldly fame,

because he takes it for a mark of vitality; and the state needs strong men. 16

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• All citizens should be honest, just and patriotic.

• To Machiavelli, ambition is dangerous, but is also

necessary, if the state is to be well served.

• The problem is not to destroy it but to direct it into proper channels. In the independent self-governing state, the state whose citizens are free, ambition and public spirit one another.

• He believes that the desire for fame increases ŵeŶs fortitude aŶd Đourage.

17

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• To Machiavelli, ambition is dangerous, but is also necessary, if the state is to be well served.

• The problem is not to destroy it but to direct it into proper channels. In the independent self-governing state, the state whose citizens are free, ambition and public spirit one another.

• He believes that the desire for fame increases ŵeŶs fortitude aŶd Đourage.

18

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• The Roman felt he owed it to himself and to others to live with courage and dignity and when he sought fame; he sought it in serving his country.

• Machiavelli does not admire the man more occupied with the condition of his own soul than with his neighbours and his country.

• The qualities admired by Machiavelli are for most part the qualities in men which make for strong political communities.

• It would be a mistake to suppose that he admires these qualities only for their political effects. 19

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• The two great forces which govern lives of men are fortune and virtue. • Machiavelli invokes the ancient Roman goddess of luck called

Fortuna. • Fortuna, he claims is the guiding spirit of every successful prince. • Fortune is a capricious power, incalculable and often irresistiďle, iŶflueŶĐiŶg ŵeŶs destiŶies froŵ ǁithout. • But men are not merely puppets on the strings of fortune

they can wrestle with fortune, and to some extent each can control his own destiny.

• The power which enables him to wrestle with fortune is his virtue and the more virtue a man has, the more he will be a

master of his own fate. 20

Virtue aŶd FortuŶe ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• Fortuna, he argues is a woman who to be kept under must be beaten and roughly handled.

• She suffers herself to be more readily mastered by those who so treat her than by those who are more timid in their appearances.

• And always like a woman she favours the young, handsome and masterly.

• Fortuna is a bit of a bitch, flighty and treacherous, she needs constant wooing, and sometimes she needs to be roughed up, but keep her sweet and there is ŶothiŶg she ǁoŶt do for LJou. 21

The Prince and the Love of his people

According to Machiavelli, it is a fact of life that princes and ordinary people feel good about being loved.

Naturally, it follows that a prince who is loved is more secured than the one who is hated, just as an ordinary marriage is more secured if the partners love each other.

A prince who is loved by his people is tempted to love them in return and this is where the danger is.

Love to all intents and purposes is a very insecure basis for princely rule because human beings betray the objects of their love.

22

TOPIC THREE

THE PREFERENCES OF MACHIAVELLI

23

The Preferences of Machiavelli

• In fact, the history of the world is the history of love unreliability, fear by contrast never fails.

• He seeŵs to argue that if LJou haǀe theŵ ďLJ their ďalls their hearts aŶd ŵiŶds ǁill folloǁ.

• It is better for a prince to be hated and feared than to be loved only hence the motto of Caligula –

let them hate me provided they fear me”.

• MaĐhiaǀellis ŵoral prefereŶĐes are differeŶt froŵ ours.

• He admires courage, intelligence and resources and much more than we do; and kindness and modesty much less. 24

The Preferences of Machiavelli ;cont’dͿ • He liked men who are true to their passions, who

dare to live the lives that seem good to them, who are not slaves of opinions.

• He despised the man who is honest and mild, not from principle, but from timidity.

• Machiavelli puts great store by veracity and seems to have admired people who have no illusions about themselves,

• Who can themselves face the truth even though they hide it from others.

25

The Preferences of Machiavelli ;cont’dͿ • He has no pity for those who fail because they are

poor in spirit, whether their ambition is noble or criminal;

He indicates that we often think we are acting conscientiously when in fact we were merely afraid.

He speaks contemptuously of persons who refrain from crime only because they fear the consequences of it;

He does not approve of crime. He admires courage, intelligence and tenacity of

purpose wherever he finds them, even in the criminal.

26

TOPIC FOUR

THE FOUR GROUPS FOUND IN A NEW STATE

27

The four groups of people in a conquered state

The new prince is likely to face four groups of people

in his newly conquered states. These groups are:

• The Family of the old Regime

• The Supporters of the War

• The Middle Class

• The People

28

The Family of the old Regime

• The first group consists of people who remain loyal to the family of the old prince.

• They may be thinking about a government in exile which will one day return to take over the reigns of government.

• They are likely to serve as a rallying group for the

opposition.

• The prince must therefore exterminate the family of the old regime.

• Leaving men alive to whom one has done injuries is always dangerous, and so the prince must not be generous to his conquered enemies.

• He should kill them to prevent future troubles

29

The Supporters of the War

• The second group consists of the people who supported the new prince to win the war. • According to Machiavelli, the Romans only entered

a new territory when they received invitation to do so.

• The invitation indicates the existence of cleavages in the state. After the war, they are likely to regard themselves as the kingmakers.

• It is important for the new prince to ignore such a group. • They will be less harmful because they are already

seen as traitors by their people and cannot mobilize against the prince 30

The Middle Class

• The third group of people the prince has to deal with are those who watch his entry with sullen acquiescence.

• These might be minor oligarchs, or gentry, people with

something to loose.

• Machiavelli wants the new prince to be very careful in dealing with these people.

• The prince will need these people to sustain his rule.

• He must reward them and this will sustain his rule because doing good to those who expect injuries, magnifies the gift.

31

The Middle Class ;ĐoŶtdͿ

• The greatest reward you can give a man is his life. • The value increases when others have been killed and others

have been spared. • The new prince must do some killing and this makes him fearful. • The way to reward fearful men with their life is to make a

clear signal that at a particular moment the killing has stopped.

• Get the killing over quickly, and preferably do it through a deputLJ ǁho ĐaŶ ďe ďlaŵed later for oǀerzealousŶess or edžĐeediŶg his order. • Better still; kill the killer, for there is no better way of

showing that the executions are over than hanging the hangman.

32

The People

• The final group that a new prince will have to contend with is the people at large. • TheLJ ĐoŶstitute the priŶĐes real loŶg-term problem. • They are initially harmless because they are leaderless and therefore constitute just a crowd. • Machiavelli argues that the new prince must regard

the people as long-term investment. • Machiavelli argues that some rulers had lost their

positions in Italy in his days because they had committed errors discussed above.

• They must not accuse fortune for having lost them, but

rather their own remissness. 33