Research Paper on Machiavelli's Concept of Virtue: Ruling Beyond Moral Quality

Introduction

Nicolo Machiavelli, in his work The Prince, conceptualizes the term "virtue" in a way that is different from its common meaning of moral quality. His conceptualization begins by rephrasing the word "virtue" to "virtu", which is an Italian word that means a ruler's ability to do everything necessary for the realization of success. The concept of virtu relates to state rulers, who Machiavelli considers to be princes, who acquire the states through military power, fortune or ability. Machiavelli refers to these states as principalities, which are either hereditary or new (Machiavelli, 1984).

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In light of the understanding of virtu being the ability to do what is required to realize success, Machiavelli posits that as opposed to the belief that leaders should exemplify moral excellence in their duties, they should be aware of the wrong things and make them useful. If virtues threaten the principality and the prince, they must be forfeited, whereas immoralities should not be admonished if they are beneficial to the state (Machiavelli, 1984). Therefore, Machiavelli states that a prince must know when and how to do wrong to, if necessary, and not worry about possible criticism since he did what was needed to maintain the principality. A perfect prince should possess this knowledge.

Machiavelli uses the role of fortune in building the concept of virtu, where he maintains that virtu without opportunity is futile and vice versa. A prince who acquires a principality through fortune may find it arduous to keep the new principality. Nonetheless, Machiavelli considers those who have grown to become princes through their ability of the power of the mind, such as Romulus, Cyrus and Moses, to be perfect examples (Machiavelli, 1984). Fortune allowed these individuals to utilize the power of the mind to grow and rule their respective principalities. Such men who use their ability to acquire principalities find it easy to keep it.

Grounds for the Above Assertions

The term virtu, as Machiavelli coins it, is based on necessity as what drives man's actions. Simply put, necessity is what man considers necessary for his survival, or his philosophies that he uses as pretexts for acquiring necessities irrespective of morality. This means that necessity entails what is feasibly necessary rather than what is needed for the satisfaction of human nature. Machiavelli grounds the concept of virtue on the understanding of human nature where human beings are considered to be driven by their needs but are sometimes ambitious and greedy. The common good for people and the state depends entirely on necessity. Machiavelli maintains that what is virtuous and what is not virtuous is determined by necessity. To sum it up, since necessity is grounded on the state's protection and survival, all principles of right and wrong rest on necessity as security.

Machiavelli's Theoretical Arguments

Machiavelli makes theoretical arguments that ground his thoughts. One of these arguments is that nature rewards the more warlike and active things since all things exist within the limits of war and peace or rest and motion. In chapter 14, Machiavelli argues that the art of war and its discipline is vital for men to become princes. For instance, Francesco Sforza studied war and used the knowledge gained to rise from a private citizen to become the Duke of Milan (Machiavelli, 1984). These calls for princes to only be concerned with the arts of war and never be idle during peaceful moments are based on the above argument. Additionally, Machiavelli also advances a political theory that opposes the moralistic theory of politics. He argues that the only true concern of the political ruler is how to acquire and maintain power. He then purports that virtuousness is not enough to win and keep political offices without knowledge of the principles of political power.

What Makes Machiavelli's Use of Virtue Different?

Machiavelli's use of virtue in the political and public life gives his idea a different meaning from the traditional concepts of virtue like the Christian virtue. Machiavelli's concept of virtue refers to the essential attributes and abilities of a powerful ruler such as impartiality and trustworthiness. On the other hand, Christian virtue encompasses several qualities such as kindness and humility that people are encouraged to develop. These are attitudes that each individual could portray. In essence, unlike Machiavelli's virtue, the Christian virtue does not relate to the political contexts such as the principalities ruled by princes.

Is Machiavelli's Theory of Virtue Problematic?

Machiavelli's theory of virtue seems to glorify necessity over goodness in justifying people's actions. He likens necessity to inevitability. However, Machiavelli complicates the reader's understanding of inevitability and compulsion by claiming that necessity is virtuous when a lack of options compels people to behave according to some objective, whereas also maintaining that people must conquer their compulsions to discern what is necessary from the unnecessary. In Chapter 8, Machiavelli highlights wickedness as an alternative to acquiring principalities other than through fortune and goodness. He gives the example of Agathocles, who used his power of mind and wickedness to rise through the military ranks to become the King of Syracuse (Machiavelli, 1984). His rise to power was characterized by hardships, which compelled him to act cruelly and exercise his greatness of mind. As such, Machiavelli considers Agathocles as an admirable military leader, who, however, cannot be categorized among the most excellent persons due to his wickedness. This complex view of Agathocles confuses the reader how a cruel individual controls his state even after injuring some of his subjects.

References

Machiavelli, N. (1984). The prince (1513). New York: Bantam. Retrieved from https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/lals/about/staff/Publications/paul-nation/Prince-Adapted2.pdf