Intro
Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance figure and statesman, is considered by many the father of modern political philosophy. Machiavelli’s legacy is immense, extending far beyond the realm of philosophy - so much so, the adjective ‘Machiavellian’ and its translations are used around the world to describe particularly cunning or devious ideas. Machiavelli is best remembered for his ideas about political leadership and state behaviour. The most powerful above all others, and most likely to endure, is his career-defining book The Prince, which was published posthumously in 1513. It offers a cynical and atheist view of politics, which sets it apart from earlier political commentary because it considers the world as it actually exists, rather than as it should. In contemporary philosophy, we often discuss ideal versus non-ideal theories of political action and we can think of behavioral science as taking a non-ideal approach to the study of human behavior. For this reason, Machiavelli is an important figure who brought the study of politics closer to a realistic understanding of the way individuals think and act.
Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.
- Machiavelli in his book, The Prince
