histofthought1

Absolutist thought in Italy and France 193virtu by the community as a whole. Except that in the case of the community,of course, virtu can no longer be doing great deeds and maintaining oneman's power. It now becomes acting always in the 'public good' or the'common good', and always subordinating an individual's or a group's private,'selfish' interests to an alleged greater good.In contrast, Machiavelli condemns the pursuit of private interest as 'corruption'. In short, Machiavelli is still holding the maintenance and expansionof state power to be the highest good, except that now the state is oligarchicand republican. What he is really preaching is similar to the creed of earlierrepublican humanists: each individual and group subordinates itself and obeyswithout question the decrees of the oligarchic ruling class of the republicancity-state.Niccolo Machiavelli is the same preacher of evil in the Discourses as hehad been in The Prince. One of the first atheist writers, Machiavelli's attitudetoward religion in the Discourses is typically cynical and manipulative. Religionis helpful, he opined, in keeping subjects united and obedient to thestate, and thus 'those princes and those Republics which desire to remain freefrom corruption should above all else maintain incorrupt the ceremonies oftheir religion'. Religion could also make a positive contribution if it glorifiedstrength and other warlike qualities, but unfortunately Christianity has sappedmen's strength by preaching humility and contemplation. In a tirade anticipatingNietzsche, Machiavelli charged that Christian morality has 'glorifiedhumble and contemplative men' and that this peaceful spirit has led to existingcorruption.Machiavelli thundered that citizens can only achieve virtu if their highestgoal is maintaining and expanding the state, and that therefore they mustsubordinate Christian ethics to that end. Specifically, they must be preparedto abandon the restraints of Christian ethics and be willing 'to enter on thepath of wrongdoing' in order to maintain the state. The state must alwaystake precedence. Therefore, any attempt to judge politics or government on ascale of Christian ethics must be abandoned. As Machievelli puts it withcrystal clarity and great solemnity at the end of his final Discourse, 'when thesafety of one's country depends upon the decision to be taken, no considerationsof justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, nor of glory or shame,should be allowed to prevail' .Machiavelli's views, and the essential unity with his outlook in The Prince,are shown in his discussion in The Discourses of Romulus, the legendaryfounder of the city of Rome. The fact that Romulus murdered his brother andothers is justified by Machiavelli's view that only one man should impose thefounding constitution of a republic. Machiavelli's wily conflation of the'public good' with the private interests of the ruler is shown in the followingmendacious passage: 'A sagacious legislator of a republic, therefore, whose