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Terror and Prudence in the Machiavellian Prince
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preferred over Sparta. To achieve this end, one has to dominate. And it is in this struggle that various uses of terror and cruelty finally come together. The internal domination transforms itself into an external domination, and the institutions which embody the terror and cruelty now become the driving force for the expansion. It is in the expansion of the city that terror and cruelty finds their ultimate use, to return human beings to their original state of nature.
In conclusion, the use of terror and cruelty in Machiavelli goes far beyond political cleverness and tactics. It is part of prudent political thinking. Prudence, as a virtue, is the ability to choose the right means to the right end in particular circumstances.
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To know
the right end requires excellence in character and the knowledge into the nature of human beings and the city; to choose the right means in particular circumstances requires excellence in judgment and long experience. In the words of Machiavelli himself, his work is precisely the result of “long experience with modern things and a continuous reading of ancient ones”,
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that is, a work of prudence. Machiavelli is often credited, in
the pejorative sense, as the father of maxim “ends justify means.” But if the restoration of man to his original state can be said as the right end, then, our prudent prince has found the right means in the ultimate use of terror and cruelty.
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For a detailed discussion on “prudence,” see Joe Sachs’s entry on phronesis in his translation on
Aristotle’s Ethics, Focus Publishing, 2002, p. 209.
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Letter of Dedication, The Prince, p. 3
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preferred over Sparta. To achieve this end, one has to dominate. And it is in this struggle
that various uses of terror and cruelty finally come together. The internal domination
transforms itself into an external domination, and the institutions which embody the
terror and cruelty now become the driving force for the expansion. It is in the expansion
of the city that terror and cruelty finds their ultimate use, to return human beings to their
original state of nature.
In conclusion, the use of terror and cruelty in Machiavelli goes far beyond political
cleverness and tactics. It is part of prudent political thinking. Prudence, as a virtue, is the
ability to choose the right means to the right end in particular circumstances.
the right end requires excellence in character and the knowledge into the nature of human
beings and the city; to choose the right means in particular circumstances requires
excellence in judgment and long experience. In the words of Machiavelli himself, his
work is precisely the result of “long experience with modern things and a continuous
reading of ancient ones”,
that is, a work of prudence. Machiavelli is often credited, in
the pejorative sense, as the father of maxim “ends justify means.” But if the restoration of
man to his original state can be said as the right end, then, our prudent prince has found
the right means in the ultimate use of terror and cruelty.
64
For a detailed discussion on “prudence,” see Joe Sachs’s entry on phronesis in his translation on
Aristotle’s Ethics, Focus Publishing, 2002, p. 209.
65
Letter of Dedication, The Prince, p. 3
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