Niccolo Machiavelli
Also called: Machiavelli, The Prince · Topic: Renaissance, Reformation and the Scientific Revolution · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Changing Cultural Traditions"
Meaning
Niccolo Machiavelli was a political thinker from Florence. He described people as they really behave, not as religion said they should. He held that men are "bad" and driven by desires that are never satisfied. In his view, self-interest is the strongest motive behind every human action. This frank, practical view of human nature broke with medieval Christian thinking.
Example
In The Prince (1513), chapter 15, Machiavelli listed the qualities people praise and blame. He argued that a ruler must deal with people as they actually are.
Don't confuse with
- Balthasar Castiglione: his The Courtier (1528) set out good manners and the ideal behaviour of a courtier and a lady. It is not a study of political power.