SocSci II

Niccolo Machiavelli

-La Rinascita (rebirth in Italian) is a period when the focus of man is shifted
from the traditional, medieval beliefs of the Catholic Church to the rebirth or the
discovery of man.

-applying greek and roman classical thought, the renaissance period resulted in the
revival of Italian art, literature, and science due to varietyof social and
economic factors.

-just like the greeks and the jews, the italians were also divided into
independednt city-states ruled by various aristocracies that are mostly local to
the catholic church. (The popes were traditionally elected from these families -
Medici, Sforza, Orsino, Bardi)

-among the italian city-states, Florence became the center of the renaissance due
to the patronage of the House of Medici, a political and banking dynasty in the
Tuscan region that established MEdici Bank (Banco dei Medici). They eventually
become known as the bankers of the catholic church.

-The Medicis are also known to be the major patrons of the arts and architecture.
Some of their most famous contributions are the Basilica di San Lorenzo in Florence
and their sponsorship to famous artists, scientists, and architects. among them are
leonardo da vinci, michelangelo, raphael, Sandro Botticelli, Galileo Galilei.

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI (1469-1527)

-he became a prominent figure in the republic after the Medicis were expelled. His
thoughts became a defining feature in Renaissance politics, particularly his work
on The Prince (Il Principe). He was born from an aristocratic family in Florence,
probably from one of first rulers in Florence before the Medicis came.

"Power: the end justifies the means"

-Greek and Judeo-Christian philosophy is centered on one question: the end of the
state
-political power is assumed to be a means only - a means to serve the higher ends,
such as justice, the good life, freedom, or God.
-Machiavelli attempts to separate power from morality, ethics, religion, and
metaphysics: the state as a system of autonomous values
-The Machiavellian state as the foundation of realpolitik: politics based on
considerations and factors, rather than on ideological or moral premises.

The Reason of the State

-The state should promote a value system that may be different from other value
systems (religions, ethics, morality) since it exists independent;y from these
beliefs.

Amorality
-machiavelli presents an amoral standpoint. one that is indifferent towards
morality. however it is NOT immorality
-he presnets that an amoral political system is one where there is good or evil due
to moral considerations. "Princes must acknowledge that "there is no court to
appeal to" due to man's state of nature (anarchic)".
-rulers are in a perpetual war against one another. forms the basis of the realist
school in international politics.
-power is the end of politics. thus, goodness coincides with efficiency. an
efficient means of acquiring, consolidating, and maintaining power is good.
inefficiency is bad.