Machiavelli’s Views On Human Nature

One of Nicolo Machiavelli’s most famous books The Prince unfolds the designs of powerful state which he believed was necessary for stability and freedom. He discusses that people are generally self-interested but their affections for other people can be won or lost. They can be trust-worthy sometimes but they can also be selfish and deceitful. They appreciate courage and generosity but most of them do not have these virtues. Those who earned some power they have ambition but most of the people are happy just the way they are and therefore they do not make effort to improve. Generally, people feel that they are obliged to return particular favours and this bond is usually not fair. These views usually present explanation for much of Machiavelli’s advice to princes.

Man’s nature determines that which his survival requires and one’s view of man symbolises one’s attitude towards life. What is open to us is whether we will discover our nature and whether we find the appropriate attitude. Machiavelli thinks that liberty emerges only from a sly understanding of men’s passions.

Machiavelli describes human nature as a dark picture to an extreme that some think that he compared human beings to animals.

According to Machiavelli in The Prince, human nature means:

They are selfish and full of ego

They think about their own self interest – people want safety and security while the ruler wants power. A real politic regime is the best according to Machiavelli. Anyone is to benefit from government in the first place even if the leaders are in fact Machiavellian. That government must ensure the unity of its citizens at all costs. That unity then depends on the continuity of the leadership for people see the government as a source of reassurance in their dealings. The government constantly changes leaders and people no longer go about their daily lives with a sense of stability. After all we sheep according to Machiavelli crate a status quo.

They are selfish to gain and conquer their motives.

According to Machiavelli a prince must win the favour of the people and dispel any hostility but he will only be truly secure when he can raise his own army to defend against all comers. To be successful a prince must read history, study war and know his own land. He must give the appearance of being good, but also know how to be evil. He should not be afraid to be thought as mean as giving liberally and spending freely will lead to ruin. He also should not worry about being thought of as cruel as fear is one of the only things he can control. A prince should be willing to use cunning if needed and deception if necessary. He may or may not be loved, but as long as he is not hated he is secure. A prince must be purposeful determined and unwavering. He must clearly follow either one path or another. He should encourage arts and craft, commerce and agriculture. He must entertain his people with spectacles and festivities rewarding those who honour his state. He adds that a leader is needed that will follow the advice in the book. For him “A virtuosic prince must have the qualities of both a lion and a fox.” The prince must master an ability to achieve what the Cambridge dictionary of philosophy calls “effective truth.”

For Machiavelli, humans are bad, selfish, egoistic, evil and depraved. Humans have no limit and they are always greedy for more and mean and he adds that human beings only care for their own self, their own family and their properties. In order to have this they will also forgive their enemy in fact he even says that in order to safeguard their priorities they can even forgive the murder of their father or any kin for that matter than the seizure of his property or any harm to himself. Humans love themselves before anything else. Humans use the state and the government for personal selfish reason, protection and profit according to Machiavelli. He adds that they hate or dislike those things which they cannot have or is hard to achieve and will consciously avoid it.

According to Machiavelli, humans by nature are evil and aggressive. According to Sabine, “Human nature is moreover, profoundly aggressive and acquisitive, men aim to keep what they have and to acquire more. Neither in power nor in possessions are always in fact limited by natural scarcity. Accordingly men are always in a condition of strife and competition which threatens an open anarchy unless checked by the ruthless forces of the state.” He believes that human beings are full of desires. His view regarding human nature is that of a high resemblance to that of Hobbes. Machiavelli’s views about politics, religion and morality are based on his view of human nature.

It’s only human Machiavelli might argument defines on human depravity yet here as with virtue Machiavelli upsets the meaning of man. Machiavelli also reduces man to the lowest common denominator. He regards humans as vulnerable riders and struggles never to let us discover otherwise but man is so much more important than that and he deserves an according defence.