NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI
He examines how power and institutions operate under real conditions, exploring political judgment capable of responding to changing Fortune and circumstances.
1469–1527Renaissance political thought · RepublicanismItaly · Florence
Other names and spellings
니콜로 마키아벨리 · 마키아벨리 · Niccolo Machiavelli
Core ideas
VIRTÙFORTUNAPOLITICAL REALISMREPUBLICANISMADAPTATION
Works & sources
The Prince, Chapter XXV, W. K. Marriott translation
NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI, a first reading
Machiavelli examined how power and institutions operate under actual political conditions.
Virtù and fortuna: what does it mean?
Fortuna concerns changing circumstances and forces beyond control; virtù concerns the capacity to respond politically. Their tension asks whether judgment and action fit the times, rather than supplying a blanket instruction to be cruel.
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