고려대학교

초록/요약

Machiavelli is a modern political philosopher who asserted the use of immoral political techniques. He is well acknowledged as a 'teacher of evil' due to his consistent assertion that violence and deception is necessary for the state's virtu, state's order and stability in other words. While he calls for an absolute prince with an immoral virtu in his best-known treatise 『The Prince』, he strongly asserts the necessity of the republic based on political virtu of the people in 『Discourses on Livy』. It is true that we become to have a question whether Machiavelli is a monarchist or a republican faced with him calling for monarchy and republic at the same time. And due to his conflicting assertion, some see his political thoughts contradictory. This paper is to examine the validity of those understanding and valuation. The valuation toward Machiavelli's political philosophy must be examined by the work of tracing his thoughts from his own point of view. Then, if we analyze how monarchy and republic coexist and unite in his political thoughts, criticism and misunderstanding toward him could be attenuated. Italy was undergoing the foreign invasion caused by serious split and internal struggles through 15th-16th century. Had born in a city-state Florence in 1469, Machiavelli was appointed as a secretary to the second chancery of republican government which was found after the fall of Medici family's monarchic government. However, he was politically dismissed from his post as the Medici regime got reinstated. In order to improve his personal situation, political situation of Florence, and Italy in general, he suggests how to overcome the political and social problems of that period of time. Based on the analysis of Roman Republic, the compound political system, which was dealt in 『The History of Rome』by Livius, he confirms the typical model of the prince acquiring the power through law and institution, and asserts that the direct cause of development of republic is civil virtu and roles. In addition, Machiavelli insists that actual human beings living in the state are the subjects of selfish desire despite of historical discontinuance between ancient Roman Republic and modern Florentine Republic. However, Machiavelli witnesses those selfish human beings in the reality overcoming their selfishness through the compound political system, Roman Republic, and at the same time acquiring public virtue, namely the state's interest and liberty. In the process of historical development, monarchy and republic rotates through the process of state's creation, maintenance, development, and innovative reformation. Then it overcomes the weak points found in two political systems by their mutual strong points. With the appearance of creative monarch like Romulus, Rome comes to have its fundamental legal system, and it integrates peonde's diverse civil virtu into the state's virtu through the establishment of the tribunate and devices that guarantee peonde's political participation. Fortuna is meant to be emme legal inevitability orgal accident in an individual's life or maintenance process of political system. An individual or political system's will and effort to overcome this fate his reseices in vartem, ways, and among those, political system's Fortuna can be conqueres through the reciprocal rotatand and dtanectical substitution of n an indivand republican e dtents. A conflict of interests due to class separation ihatn inevitablitabte a political system exsubshoses. However, this adversity s ofs hav the emme lnce of ad abotlutty s ofs hs ad arbitratorgaetween peondevand nnd d class. The adversity afso requires republic that guarantees peonde's interest and nnd d class' vested interest,gal allowing peonde's political participation. Monarchy and republic classppeared in the process of adversity, conn thes the process of constantemotatand and comb tation. A monarch and peondevapolitical part enhavce emme lofs hs ad a and lut, and afso me laehaviaval subpart of the state's rationofs h. Fatenflicn, makes the monarch and peondevcoexist in the bpart of the state's ratinofs h. Fatenfl. The s ofs hppearavce hlitabtehs ad existlnce who setts dilutty s ofs hs ad asyseitastem s vbte re ations or mavality, y s people, based on healthy civil virtu, expands republic's state virtu through institution such as comitia and tribune. As stated above, internal and external confusion is resolved through the confrontation and rotation of political subjects. And the depravity such as appearance of tyrant and people's corruption calls for the virtue of both of the two political systems. Within the compound political system Roman Republic, ability of the prince and people which realize these calls unite as state's liberty and glory, and rise. The virtu behavioral subject of the state's rationality has, is suggested as immoral, active and masculine power. The virtu of courage, poverty and liberty which becomes the foundation of strong and expansive power, connects the prince and people together and at the same time brings liberty and glory of Roman Republic. As mentioned above, difficulties such as class confrontation and conflict, rotation of subject of the state's rationality, depravity of monarchial and people's features are the fate and adversity that came to the compound political system, Roman Republic. It could be understood that Machiavelli tried to solve those difficulties on the level of combination of two different political systems. Focused on 『The Prince』 and 『Discourses on Livy』, Machiavelli's political thoughts is quiet distant from our philosophical distinction interpreting him today. The purpose of his political thoughts is not to establish the theoretical structure of certain political system, but to improve the reality. Thus, criticism toward him accusing his thoughts antinomic is no more than a mere attempt to define him from the view of certain political system, and antinomic conflicts cannot be found within Machiavelli's political thoughts itself.