Material Detail

This video was recorded at PLSC 114 - Introduction to Political Philosophy. The discussion of Machiavelli's politics continues in the context of his most famous work, The Prince. A reformer of the moral Christian and classical concepts of goodness and evil, Machiavelli proposes his own definitions of virtue and vice, replacing the vocabulary associated with Plato and the biblical sources. He relates virtue, or virtu, to manliness, force, ambition and the desire to achieve success at all costs. Fortune, or fortuna, is a woman, that must be conquered through policies of force, brutality, and audacity. The problem of "dirty hands" in political and philosophical literature is discussed in detail. Reading assignment: Machiavelli, The Prince, chapters 13-26 Resources: Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, translated by W.K. Marriott Courtesy of the University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection

Disciplines:

• Social Sciences  / Political Science