Machiavelli

Nicollo Machiavelli, born in Florence, Italy, was a writer/philosopher and is considered to some, not all, to be the originator of modern political science. Most recognized for ideas expunged through his work, The Prince, a short treatise published in 1532, Machiavelli has been studied by numerous political theorists over the years and been demonized and heralded alike for his insights into political thought and execution.

Derived from his life experiences, Machiavelli, who was born and lived through some of Florence's most politically tumultuous years, wrote, in The Prince, the guidelines of how a prince, or any ruler for that matter, should go about governing his kingdom - governance should ultimately be in the best interests of the government, not necessarily the populace. What this means is that a prince, or ruler, who holds the throne and is in control of the government must create a stable, virtuous state and the actions taken to do this are inherently necessary no matter the cruelty constructed through enterprises used to reach such an ends.

Machiavelli stressed the break in realism and idealism - he posits that a ruler must be actively and, beyond reproach, a public figure, one that connects with his people, at least on some level, yet a politician that can act amorally, if need be, to reach the goals set forth by the himself and the state. This is all permissible if the goals of the state are, ultimately, goals that further the overall good of the state. Machiavelli defines morality in a political sense - it is an agent that is swift and, to an extent, short lived. Machiavelli acknowledged the ironies and paradoxes his ideals created - to the point that good results, not always, but normally, spawn from "evil," or amoral actions.

Many theorists argue over whether Machiavelli was a realist or acting as a catalyst, through his writings, mainly The Prince, for the political regimes of the time. Some believe that Machiavelli was simply, through treachery, an agent he ironically supported in his writings, leading the politicians of the day astray. He was giving politicians of the day advice to lead them politically astray and change the chaotic political environment in which he lived.

Yet, all of this speculation is simply that, speculation. But what is certain is that many politicians, those relative to Machiavelli and those future, agreed with him in some fashion. Take early American politicians such as John Adams, who also studied Montesquieu, as an example.

Machiavelli's ideas of cyclical societal and governmental decay and growth, which occurred naturally throughout societies, and that humans are creatures of emotions and decisions, were shared by Adams and other early American political minds. Moreover, Machiavelli's ideas concerning systems of checks and balances (found in his writings entitled Discorsi), obviously had some effect of the Founding Fathers, most of whom had, at some time, read Machiavelli.

But it is best to view Machiavelli as one of the first serious political scientists of the modern era. If anything, Machiavelli questioned the way in which politicians thought, acted and interacted with the populace they governed. If anything, Machiavelli, along with Montesquieu, Algernon Sidney, and other political philosophers of the time, planted the seed of thought that led to or at least helped to lead to the theories and ideals found in many democracies and republics around the world, ideals that are continually being augmented and implemented in new and varying ways in the everyday.