Machiavelli's core idea is to absolutely safeguard the supreme authority of the monarch by any means to achieve his goal, which is reflected in his book The Prince. His advice to politicians is: As a monarch, you should be feared first, not loved. "People love the monarch based on their own will, and fear is based on the will of the monarch, so a wise monarch should stand on his own will, not on the will of others." It is believed that Jun always "maintains the majesty of his supreme position".
Machiavelli: the monarch
He lived in Renaissance Italy. Renaissance originated in Italy, which is the need of bourgeois economic development and people's awakening to their independent authority and their great strength and ability. The rediscovery of Greek thought promoted this process.
He draws ideological materials from people who used to or existed, not from people who should exist. He is not so much a political philosopher as a political analyst. He does not deal with political issues in a philosophical way, but in an empirical way.
His thoughts are empirical. Based on his experience, he described man as an inhuman and selfish animal, focusing only on power, reputation, utility and security. Therefore, it is meaningless to talk about people's moral dignity or lofty supernatural purpose in life, and it is futile to try to restrain people with the domination of natural laws or sacred laws and regulations. Therefore, he denied the necessity of traditional moral precepts and abandoned the role that tradition gave religion in life. He put forward a completely secular view of human morality, holding that success, power and reputation are the primary purposes of life. Goodness is a favorable tool to achieve secular goals such as material achievements and power.
His thoughts are also secular. Man is the master of his own destiny. He is neither subject to God nor to fate. Traditional Christian values always emphasize the qualities of advocating humility, obedience, submission and abstinence, thus gradually weakening the self-confidence needed to ensure people to overcome their own destiny. He is in favor of taking any means that people think unnecessary to achieve his goal.
His works bear the imprint of his personal experience. When he was young, a Taoist priest in his hometown tried to engage in politics in strict accordance with moral standards for four years and failed. His works are also utilitarian, trying to gain an important political position; But more importantly, he was disappointed with Italy's fruitful Renaissance, prosperous and advanced economic activities and politics. Italy is divided and bullied.
He realized the breakthrough role of his thoughts, cut off the relationship between politics and theology and ethics, and made political science enter a new dynasty. He is not opposed to religion, but he is hostile to Christianity, hates Christian values and hates the church's interference in political affairs. He completely separated personal morality from public morality, and thought that personal moral norms actually had nothing to do with public politics. The unification of Italy is both difficult and necessary, so in order to accomplish this task. Rulers resort to necessary violence and cheat or even betray their beliefs by cruel means. This is his basic proposition.
He believes that power is the key to politics, and rarely considers the justice and legalization of power. Power comes from political needs, and there is no need to demonstrate its rationality in philosophy; People who gain power should have exclusive power. Power brings social stability and security, and morality is not suitable for the coercive behavior of power.
For the rulers, he suggested to strengthen power at will and monopolize power. He believes that most people are evil and corrupt in nature, and the beast has the upper hand. There is no need to talk about morality for them. Power is good, because it protects the country, so means should not be restricted.
1. Where does the legitimacy of the country come from?
2. Does the country eat men's pong?