Prince IX (Redux)
Machiavelli's revaluation of values
Chapter 15 is perhaps the most important chapter of the entire book. Here Machiavelli directly challenges Plato’s imagined republics; he also revises his teaching about aiming high enough to reach the target – you do not aim at the imaginary, but at the possible, as high as possible. Machiavelli also tells us what his intent is: to write something useful for the one who understand. In this vein, he invites comparison with the writers of old; he seeks to demonstrate in the following chapters how it is that his readers must read. The chapter speaks of praise and blame, and it is writers who attach praise and blame in the histories. Therefore, the readers must learn how to read, to see, to understand what is said.
Consider here an example from Chapter 8: Machiavelli’s discussion of Agathocles:
Yet one cannot call it virtue to kill one’s citizens, betray one’s friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; these modes can enable one to acquire empire, but not glory. For, if one considers the virtue of Agathocles in entering into and escaping from dangers, and the greatness of his spirit in enduring and overcoming adversities, one does not see why he has to be judged inferior to any most excellent captain. Nonetheless, his savage cruelty and inhumanity, together with his infinite crimes, do not permit him to be celebrated among the most excellent men. Thus, one cannot attribute to fortune or to virtue what he achieved without either.
Read that again—is Machiavelli praising or blaming Agathocles?
Praise is reputation. There are things one does to gain praise and one must seek this reputation to be successful. However, one must get behind the appearance of virtue to see how it was really obtained. Thus, Machiavelli seeks to show the effectual truth of how one obtains a good reputation.
For example, how did Ford and Rockefeller get the reputation for liberality? They were robbers. Thus, to imitate this one cannot simply imitate the giving, but must also do the robbing. You can look at people like George Soros (who precipitated a run on the Thai Baht and the Asian economic flu that followed in 1997) as a contemporary equivalent.
The effectual truth reveals that there is another standard for virtue, that one must go beyond good and not good.
Like in Chapter 1, Machiavelli here gives us a list that guides the reading and interpretation of subsequent chapters.
Notice at the top of the table is listed ‘blamed’ and ‘praised’ rather than vice and virtue. The chapter is about virtue and vice and yet Machiavelli focuses on praise and blame.
Also notice what is not listed here by Machiavelli: just and unjust.
But liberality is mentioned twice – the double could be a stand in for justice, thus you should pay attention in the sequel, reading it with that double meaning in mind.
In the end, Machiavelli’s takeaway is: if it helps to make the state work and to keep it stable, then do not worry about the reputation for vice, simply avoid the reputation for the worst of them. The higher standard, recall, is political success and glory. What is helpful to security and stability is virtue, that which is not is vice. The greatest founders all re-founded the notion of virtue, they changed what it meant to be virtuous. Think here of Jesus. Now according to Machiavelli, the Christian conception of virtue makes people lazy (e.g., the meek shall inherit the earth), and it is supported by the lazy because of this. It is also supported by those who are not lazy, because they can take over from and rule over the lazy more easily. In light of this, consider what Machiavelli is doing to the conception of virtue.