Machiavelli, Niccolò (1469–1527)

Machiavellism commonly refers to a cynical, amoral view of power and human relations and also to a politics of force and of calculated arbitrariness. In his major works, The Prince and Discourses on Livy , the political philosopher and diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli took the scandalous liberty of speaking well of evil: namely, of cruelty, obscenity, treachery, lies, avarice, disbelief, irreligion, craftiness, and boldness. His name has been consequently charged with the abstract and moral notion of evil, particularly in politics. This was certainly a way to render his theories illicit and detestable; nonetheless, a strong interest in them has never diminished. Machiavelli remains one of the most widely published authors of the past 5 centuries and one of the rare ones, along with the Marquis de Sade and Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, to have his name substantiated for describing scary and excessive behaviors. This entry presents, first, some of Machiavelli's most ...

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