Thank You, Mr. Machiavelli

Written August 13, 2008

After reading The Prince, I have to say, if there is one person in history besides Jesus I'd love to meet, it would be Niccolo Machiavelli. The guy is hilarious. I actually wrote LOL in my notes on the side of the page. Take a look at these lines:

"...for fortune is a woman, and it is necessary, if you wish to master her, to conquer her by force; and it can be seen that she lets herself be overcome by the bold rather than by those who proceed coldly. And therefore, like a woman, she is always a friend to the young, because they are less cautious, fiercer, and master her with greater audacity."

What kind of obnoxious, sexist idea is that? All (most) women will be conquered by force? I wonder what kind of women Machiavelli dealt with in his life...probably not many. The poor man must have been bitter. Well, however sexist that may have seemed, his concept is true to a certain extent. Fortune is indeed taken advantage of by the young and audacious, though not always yielding the most exemplary of results.

Whatever defects he may have as a man, Machiavelli is a true political genius. Shrewd, manipulative, charismatic, hypocritical, courageous, tactfully deceptive--all of these are qualities of the ideal prince he describes. And if you look at our politics today and examine the relatively successful and skilled politicians of our times, most if not all of them possess a number of these qualities. (And yes, I'm referring to the likes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, FDR, etc.)

These lines are the golden rule for today's politicians: "It is not, therefore, necessary for a prince to have all the above-named qualities, but it is very necessary to seem to have them...Everybody sees what you appear to be, few feel what you are, and those few will not dare to oppose themselves to the many..."[Italics added] In short, Machiavelli is insinuating that the majority of the people in a country are idiots, and that a politician who puts on a good show will be well-received. I cannot say I disagree, as much as I find the concept disgusting.

I was relieved when I read chapter 25, on How Much Fortune Can Do in Human Affairs and How It May Be Opposed. Yes, Mr. Machiavelli, your principles are all good and true (perhaps not always ethically good), but these are all useless if God does not give the opportunity!

His conclusion comforts me, because I know I can still trust in a God who is sovereign over all--and that whoever becomes president in the next year and the years after would not be there if God did not appoint him to that position.

"I conclude then that [God given] fortune varying and men remaining fixed in their ways, they are successful so long as these ways conform to circumstances..."

Thank you, Mr. Machiavelli, for proving that God is sovereign over all circumstances, in spite of all schemes and machinations of men. --Proverbs 16:9