POL200Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Italian Unification, Liberal Democracy, Thrasymachus
Process, way, progress
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Moving target
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What we have lost pales against what we've gained
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Challenge that modern is always best
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Liberalism v. Marxism (lives on borrowed time)
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End of Cold War --> end of history, everyone becomes a liberal democracy
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Crave and fear science and progress / technology
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Post-modern: not solid idea, agree on
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3rd world rejection of modernity --> right wing
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Aim: clarify status of modernity
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Modernity
Seen as more evil than Satan, incarnation of evil
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Held in awe, terror, loathing --> fear
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Was republican, realest, satire of princes?
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Italian unification / nationalism
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Founder of political science? Faces truth
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Stability (economy of violence, seeking to minimize)
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If modern, not seen as scary or bad
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Misunderstood because too modern for his day
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Maybe Machiavelli was convinced evil (modern) was good
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Modernity = evil? - worst evil is to convert others by convincing what is evil is in fact good
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Published posthumously --> not good for his time
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Machiavelli
Lorenzo the Magnificent
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Flatters, wants a job
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Self-praise
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Someone comes from nowhere and is smarter than
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Suggestion that Lorenzo needs the advice --> there is little praise for Lorenzo
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Machiavelli has what Lorenzo needs and can't get on his own
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Machiavelli is not a friend to princes -- is a republican
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Why does Machiavelli include the letter if Machiavelli and Lorenzo are both dead, and it appears he
never really wanted the job?
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Points it out
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Lorenzo the Magnificent was actually Lorenzo's grandfather, Lorenzo has no achievements of his own
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Give something he values or you value?
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Machiavelli doesn't lose anything / cost by giving advice
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Presumptuous - commoner advising a prince
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Asserting superiority --> has good advice
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'it is customary,' explains typical ways --> he is not the same, does not offer typical gifts
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Example is false: one knows both or neither
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Machiavelli should also be asking Lorenzo for advice
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Justifies presumptions: to know prince, must know people
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Separation between fortune as a quality
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Defined by luck?
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Fortune is external
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Lorenzo virtues are as external as fortune
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'fortune and your other qualities' - translation
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Ignorant of Machiavelli's poverty
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Returns to landscape metaphor, instead Lorenzo doesn't know what is going on --> retracts the only
compliment he made, only Machiavelli has knowledge
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Lorenzo is a character of the old order, against Machiavelli
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Establishes adversarial relationship
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Dedicated Letter
Sets out contents for part of the book
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Numerical (one/many)
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Aristotle:
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Chapter 1
Lecture 2.1: Intro to Machiavelli, The Prince,
chapters 1-2
January 5, 2017
2:00 PM
LECTURE Page 37
Document Summary
Lecture 2. 1: intro to machiavelli, the prince, chapters 1-2. What we have lost pales against what we"ve gained. End of cold war --> end of history, everyone becomes a liberal democracy. Crave and fear science and progress / technology. 3rd world rejection of modernity --> right wing. Seen as more evil than satan, incarnation of evil. If modern, not seen as scary or bad. Worst evil is to convert others by convincing what is evil is in fact good. Maybe machiavelli was convinced evil (modern) was good. Published posthumously --> not good for his time. Someone comes from nowhere and is smarter than. Suggestion that lorenzo needs the advice --> there is little praise for lorenzo. Machiavelli has what lorenzo needs and can"t get on his own. Machiavelli is not a friend to princes -- is a republican. Lorenzo the magnificent was actually lorenzo"s grandfather, lorenzo has no achievements of his own.
