Seperation of politics from ethics and religion

Machiavelli was
different from Plato, Aristotle and Medieval thinkers. According to him, the state
was not a means to an end. But the State is an end in itself. It is not a means of
promoting social welfare. The end is the State. It justified the means. Interests of
the state justified everything. Interest of the State justified all wrong actions.
State actions cannot be judged by individuals. There is a double standard for the
State and the people. The state has no ethics. It is non-ethical. The state is not
a moral being. It is not immoral also. But we can say that the State is non-moral.
The non moral State is ruled by a non-moral Prince. He is a despot117. But he is an enlightened despot
Machiavelli believed in Secularism. To Machiavelli, the Church is only a
department or section of the state. The Church is not independent of the State.
The Church has a place within the state. The place of Church is not above or
beside the State. Religion is only a social force which is working within the state.
Religion cannot be above the State. Ethics also is like this. Ethics cannot be
above the State. It is a force working within the State.

Assessment of Machiavelli: According to Machiavelli, “a state must either
expand or expire”. If a State does not expand118, it will expire119 or cease to exist Roman state is the best example. It’s policy of expansion is ideal. It can be seen
that Machiavelli had very strict idea about the State. The State should be
powerful without any principles or ethics. “Machiavellianism” had become a by
word for “unscrupulousness”120. It is about how to preserve a State. He was a
Political Realist and not a Political Philosopher. His concept of State is based on
reality and not on principles. His State theory is about practical politics and not
about principles of politics.

Machiavelli totally separated religion from politics. He stood for a Secular
state. He rejected Papacy and Holy Roman Empire. He thought of a Nation State
with its own population, territory, sovereignty and its own government.
The contribution of Machiavelli to the Science of Politics can be
summarised as follows:-

1. European Chanakya: Machiavelli can be considered as a European
Chanakya. Thought not adept and Brilliant as Chanakya, Machiavelli
could live up to his age and expectations in Europe.

2. Nationalism: Machiavelli can be considered as a symbol of nationalism.
The emerging nationalist feelings of Europe found a theorist in him.

3. Foundation of State: As according to Machiavelli, the foundation of the
State is not divine intervention. But it is embedded In the nature of
people.

4. Secularism: The principles of Machiavelli were targeted towards the
creation of a secular society. He wanted to separate religion from politics.

5. Public and Private Morality: In Machiavelli, there is a distinction
between public and private morality.

6. Negating ‘Natural Law’: Machiavelli refuted the principle of natural law.
According to him, law is the positive code created by a ruler. There is
nothing like natural or eternal or divine law.

7. Concept of Sovereignty: According to Machiavelli, sovereignty is both
internal and external in character. This concept went well with the
concept of nationalism.

8. Historical Method: Machiavelli is known for the introduction of
Historical Methods in the art and science of Politics.
So friend this is all about the Seperation of politics from ethics and religion

The spacial book of machiavelli Name prince

Machiavelli’s book ‘Prince’ is not an academic work. It is not a
book of Political Science also. But it is a book of practical politics. It says that
State is the highest form of human organisations. It is above all other human
organisations. It is unavoidable for the welfare of people. It is ruled by a Prince
who is rational114. He is brutal115 also. A Prince must have the qualities of a lion
in organizing attacks116. He should have the qualities of a fox in diplomatic
matters. He is not hated. He should be only feared. He must be free from
emotional disturbances. But he must take advantage of emotional disturbance of
people. He is a calculating opportunist. He must oppose evil by evil. He must be
ready to sin for the sake of the state. Dishonesty is the best policy for the Prince.
The fundamental principle of the Prince is that the State is the highest
association. It reflects the national character. Nobody is above the state. The law of the state expresses the character of the state.

A successful Prince should always try to make himself popular among the
people. He should be like a father figure to all his subjects. He must command
the respect of the citizens. He must ensure economic prosperity of the subjects.
He must plant spies all over. Any dissention against him should be taken into
consideration seriously. Conspirators should be thoroughly punished. There shall
be strict law and order in his state.

According to Machiavelli, the Prince is above laws. He is above all codes
and conducts. He need not watch for the morality and immorality of his actions.
He is bothered only about the end results. The means is not an issue for him.
While selecting the officials, the Prince should be careful to avoid flatterers. This
is the greatest challenge to a Prince. To differentiate between those who flatter
and those who present facts is difficult. He must also take steps to keep the royal
matters as secret.

A Prince must take the advice of wise people around him. He should not listen to all alike.
A successful Prince must abstain from personal property and women.
These two things can take away his interest in the administration of the state.
He must be able to sin for the unity and integrity of the state.
A Prince must realize the importance of a strong army for the state. No
nation can survive without a powerful army. He can only do so if enough finance
is available to him. But the real strength of the army resides in the patriotism of
people.

A Prince must also be able to exploit the religious feelings of the people for
the safety and security of the nation. He must also be able to get the sympathy of
the people .

A Prince must be able to obtain the opinion of his people on various
matters. He must create a feeling in men that the rule is for them. He must make use of various methods of propaganda to spread the message.
So friend this is all about the book prince.

The concept of machiavelli on human nature

Today we will read the concept of machiavelli on human nature.

Machiavelli on Human nature: According to Machiavelli, human nature is
not good. But it is bad. According to him, man is “ungrateful109, fickle110,
deceitful111, cowardly112 and avaricious”.113 They are originally irrational. They
do not think based on reason. They work according to their emotions. They are
emotional beings. They are not rational beings. There is only one method to
control them. It is through emotions. They can be controlled only through Fear.
Fear is the dominating element in man. Therefore, a King or a Prince must make
use of the Fear to control people. The people must fear a Prince. The Prince must
represent fear.
Machiavelli’s concept of Human nature is given in his famous work ‘The
Prince’. It can be summarised as follows:

1. Human nature is essentially not good. Man, by nature is selfish. He is self
centered. He is greedy. By nature, men love property and material objects
than his own people and other human beings. Machiavelli said that people
can forget their ancestors but not their property.

2. Man always remains unsatisfied because he is always greedy.
3. Human beings are always aggressive. He is interested in acquire more and
more. His greed never ends.

4. By nature, human beings work against collective interests because he is
selfish.

5. By nature human beings are ambitious. They very fast get tired of the old
and seeks things new and things which caters to his fancy.

6. Human beings generally want liberty.

So friend this is all about the concept of machiavelli on human nature.

Method of machiavelli

today we can know the method of machiavelli.

Method of Machiavelli: Machiavelli was a follower of Aristotle. Machiavelli
started at the point in which Aristotle stopped. He freely used the various
concepts of Aristotle. Machiavelli followed Reason. His method was based on
scientific observation105. He tried to learn from history and the past. It is called
Historical Method. He studied contemporary106 politics. On the basis of it, he
formed theories. He proved his theories on the basis of history. He based his
thinking on truth and reality. It is called Realism. It is not based on philosophy.
He was more interested in the actual working of the government. He was
interested in the protection and preservation of the state. He was not worried
about the excellence107 of the Constitution. He believed that there is no point in
having an excellent Constitution, if it does not protect the State. He also viewed
state affairs from the standpoint of the ruler. The ruled people were only
secondary to Machiavelli. Above all, he said that there is only one sword108 to rule
the nation. That is the sword of Secularism. He did not allow religion in politics.
He did not want religion to rule the state.

Machiavelli and his times: Machiavelli lived during a period when much
chaos and confusion prevailed in Italy. The country was in fragments. There were
constant conflict between the Pope and the Emperor. Pope was more a dis unifying factor rather than a unifying factor. There was no central authority to
command the rule of the state. At the same time, feudalism was on a down-hill
trend due to advancement in economic production. It was the period of
Renaissance. In almost all fields of human thinking, there were freedom of
speech and expression. Reason was taking charge of faith. Reason and faith got
separated from each other. Men wanted to separate his temporal life from that of
spiritual life. Materialism was another characteristic of his times. Renaissance
replaced spiritualism with materialism. Individual became the centre of human
thought.

So this is all about the method of machiavelli.

Theory of machiavelli

Friend today we will read the theory of machiavelli.

Machiavelli, (Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli) (1469 - 1527) was born in
Italy in 1469. He was a diplomat97, political philosopher, musician, poet and
playwright. He is known as the child of Renaissance98. He
was very much influenced by the intellectual traditions99 of his
age. Since he was a high ranking government official, he had
first-hand knowledge of state matters. Machiavelli was born in
a very difficult period in Italian history. All the Italian City
States were under attack from foreign powers like France,
Spain and Holy Roman Empire. Even the Pope of Italy had his own army.
Renaissance is a special period in European History. In this period, people
understood that it is possible to think freely. They realized that it is possible to
think without the help of Church. They also realized that it is possible to think
beyond100 church teachings. People believed that Nature must be viewed from
the point of view of Reason. They started thinking that Nature should not be
viewed from the point of view of Religion. Nature is not a matter of faith. It is a
matter of Reason. Man must be able to think with the brain which God had given
him. So it was a time of Freedom of Thought. Free thinking was supported in all
matters of human life. It became possible to think free in all matters of life. So it
became possible to think in the matters of Politics also. That means, it became
possible to think about political matters without the help of religion. Thus,
Political thinking became Secular101. Machiavelli became a champion of free
thinking in Political Thought.

Actually, Machiavelli lived in the end of medieval age and the beginning of
Modern Age. With him, middle Ages came to an end and political philosophy
entered a new phase. His thinking was modern. In the middle Ages, people
thought mainly about Spirit, Salvation and God. The centre of human thought
was God and the Church. But in the Renaissance period, Man became the centre of human thought. People began to think about what is good for Man; and not
what is good for God. They began to concentrate on this world and not heaven
and salvation. People wanted to improve their life. They wanted to enrich their
personality. They wanted to enjoy the beauty of nature and this world. They
stopped dreaming about the beauty of heaven.
So friend this is all the theory of machiavelli.

Theory of universal monarchy

Hellow friend today we will read about the theory of universal monarchy that is written by the dante alighieri.

Dante was born in Florence in 1265 AD. Dante lived during a
time of constant quarrel between the factions supporting the
Emperor and the Pope. He was the most vocal anti-Papal. He
vehemently criticized the authority of the Church. He believed
that the human kind could achieve the purpose of life only
through a peaceful state. He was very pained at the anarchic
conditions prevailing in Italy. He believed that only a powerful
king can put an end to all these problems. He also believed
that the meddling of the Church in the affairs of the State is
the reason for the chaos and confusion prevailing in Italy.

Dante on Universal Monarchy: In De Monarchia, Dante is concerned with
three problems. 1. Is there a need for a world government? 2. Is Monarchy the
best form of world government? 3. Whether the authority of Holy Roman
Emperor came directly from God or from Pope.
Dante considered Monarchy as the best form of government because
peace, a necessary condition to all other virtues93 could be maintained only by
a monarch. Like other medievalists, Dante advocated an unlimited monarchy.
He was not only for a monarchy, but for a Universal Monarchy. This was
necessary for the peace of all mankind and that the monarch will have no fear
and no ambition to have, would rule justly and wisely.
There were particular ends for smaller communities like the household,
village, city or kingdom. But there was only a general end for all mankind. World
Empire and World Emperor were necessary because smaller communities were
not self sufficient and could not generate peace, without which good life was
impossible. He was for a strong secular Universal Empire and for depriving the
Pope of all secular authority and power of interference in secular affairs. The
universal society should be governed by two divine authorities i.e. the Emperor
and the Pope. They should have their separate and well defined jurisdiction. They
must not interfere in the affairs of each other. The secular government was
independent of spiritual authority. The power of the emperor, just like the
pope, came from God directly.

The monarch shall rule according to justice and law. The state shall
perform both material and moral functions. The monarch is the representative
of God on earth. He must rule through the monarchs of other kingdoms. He is
not a despot94. But he prevents the monarchs from fighting. He must maintain peace. He is a guardian of peace and not an actual ruler. He must not destroy
national or individual independence. It must be permitted as far it is compatible
with world peace. For full individual self realisation, peace is necessary.
Therefore, the world emperor exists for the people. He is only a servant of the
servants. He is the law personified95, law throned and crowned and
invested96 with majesty and honour. Dante’s universal monarchy is not a
super state. But it is the regime of supreme law. The supreme law may be called
justice, which could be maintained by one man.Dante said that for the settlement of disputes, there is no need of a war. He
said that if there is an issue, there ought to be a solution. This judgment should
be given by the Monarch. If the whole world is under the single Monarch, there is
less scope for a dispute as the whole world is ruled by a single Monarch. This is
just like an individual who is the head of the family. if all the members of the
family are independent, that will lead to chaos and confusion. Therefore, the
members of the family should be subordinate to him.

Dante accepts the concept of diversity within the Universal Monarch. There
shall be only universal law and order. Ethnic, cultural and linguistic difference
will be taken into consideration. Local issues shall have local solutions. Common
issues and problems will come to the attention of the Monarch. By saying so,
Dante on State and the Church: According to Dante, man is basically secular in
nature. His religious faith is independent of his concern with the State. The state
is ruled by the Monarch. The spiritual aspects are looked after by the church.
Both cannot be mixed with each other. The authority of the Monarch to rule
comes directly from God. It is not through the Pope. Just like Pope had authority
from God, the Monarch also takes his authority from God. One is not under the
other. Pope cannot lead the coronation of the Emperor or bestow him some
powers.
According to Dante, man has two aims in life. One is spiritual and the
other is temporal therefore, he should have two masters also. This arrangement
is inevitable to lead a peaceful life. The Pope shall lead the spiritual life. The
Emperor shall lead the State.
Dante on Equality of men: Dante did not believe in the essential equality of
men. For him all people are not capable of ruling themselves. He borrows the
Aristotelian idea of inequality of men. He says that Romans are superior in
nature. They are destined to rule the world. The world Monarchy should belong to Romans. It is the duty ordained by nature upon Rome. It is not based on the
greed of Romans to rule the world. But it is for the purpose of common good that
the Romans should rule the world. However, there is an ambiguity in this
principle by Dante. During his period varied kinds of people lived in the Roman
Empire. Therefore it is not clear whether he meant people living within the
Roman Empire or the race of people born in Rome. In any case, he tried to
advance the supremacy of Romans.

Estimate of Dante: Dante expressed great concern over the abysmal low and
order situation prevailing in Rome during his time. He readily came out with the
ready-made solution of a universal monarchy. He wanted to enhance the position
and power of the Monarchy. He tried to break open the doors of secularism to the
medieval people of Europe. He also tried to separate temporal authority from the
influence of Papal authority. He based his theory of Monarchy on an
international platform while accepting the diversity of people.
So friend this is all about the theory of universal monarchy that is written by the dante alighieri and thanks for reading.

Concept of monarchy and slavery

 
Concept of Monarchy: According to Thomas Aquinas, Monarchy is the
best form of government. Only monarchy could promote unity. It is natural that
the superior must rule over the inferior. It is also good for the inferior to be ruled
by the superior. This is the reason why Aquinas supported slavery to some
extent. The ultimate function of Monarch is bringing virtuous life and happiness
to the people. It is his duty to provide the people with peace and order and all
material well being for the attainment of a happy life. The Monarch is under the
supreme guidance of the natural law. In case of a conflict between the Monarch
and Papacy, it should be the later which must win.

Concept of Slavery: Aquinas supported slavery on the ground that the
superior must rule over the inferior. But there is a fundamental difference
between Aristotle and Aquinas in the case of support for slavery. Aquinas
supported slavery on certain religious grounds also. According to him, it is a
remedy to wash off sins. By saying so, Aquinas took a careful position not to
disturb the then social set up
Estimate of St. Thomas Aquinas: Thomas Aquinas was a true
representative of the Middle Ages. Within the intellectual confinement of the
Church, he could remain a liberal thinker. His contribution to political thought
and the then society was multifaceted. Aquinas is best known for his
classification of Laws. The contribution of St. Thomas Aquinas can be

summarised as follows:
1. Idea of Democracy: Aquinas said that the ultimate authority of the sovereign
comes from the people, viewed from a political angle. Knowingly or
unknowingly, St. Thomas Aquinas was paving the seeds of Democracy.

2. Idea of Welfare State: According to Aquinas, the functions of the state were
good and virtuous life. It was expected to provide the citizens with all
amenities, which would help them to lead a happy life.

3. Revival of Aristotelianism: With St. Thomas Aquinas, the principles of Aristotle
began to be re read in the west. It was re discovery. It was a new beginning
long lost during the dark ages perpetrated by the church. By doing so,
Aquinas was correcting a mistake of the ages. Political philosophy could move
forward there forth.

4. Revival of Scholasticism: The best part of Scholasticism was that it was a
combination of faith and reason. It brought reason at par with faith. It became
easy of the later thinkers to drop faith in favour of reason in their thinking
towards a secular and egalitarian society and state. Aquinas built the foundation for that.
So friend this is all about the monarchy and slavery and thanks for reading.