Machiavelli, Niccolò

Abstract

Niccolò di Bernardo Machiavelli (1469–1527) spent the earlier part of his life as a diplomat and government officer of the Florentine Republic. When the Medici family took over the government of Florence, Machiavelli found himself out of work and took to his study to write two of the works he is known for today, The Prince and his Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy. These books are full of historical anecdotes and character studies from his experience as a diplomat, and they lack the systematic character students generally expect in a work of great moral or political philosophy. However, Machiavelli does develop two original and important ideas of significance to ethics. He articulates the theory that there exist no outcome-independent virtues or vices. Traits of character traditionally lauded as virtues may operate as vices in some contexts; and character traits traditionally derided as vicious may actually operate for good in some cases. Virtue of character, then, lies in practical judgment about how to achieve good ends in the specific circumstances (see Character; Practical Virtue Ethics).