5/24/2023 0 Comments The wisdom of niccolo machiavelli![]() ![]() ![]() Niccolò Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469. Once we understand this basic requirement, we’ll be less disappointed and clearer about what we want our politicians to be. ![]() A good politician – in Machiavelli’s remarkable view – isn’t one who is kind, friendly and honest, it is someone – however occasionally dark and sly they might be – who knows how to defend, enrich and bring honour to the state. Machiavelli’s writings suggest that we should not be surprised if politicians lie and dissemble, but nor should we think them immoral and simply “bad” for doing so. Surprisingly, the very man who gave his name to the word “Machiavellian,” a word so often used to describe the worst political scheming, can help us understand the dangers of this tired dichotomy. We seem torn between our idealistic hopes and our pessimistic fears about the evil underbelly of politics. However, we are also regularly catapulted into cynicism when we realise the number of backroom deals and the extent of the lying that politicians go in for. On the one hand, we have an idealistic idea that a politician should be an upright hero, a man or woman who can breathe new moral life into the corrupt workings of the state. Our assessment of politicians is torn between hope and disappointment. ![]()
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