JLC-110 FA2 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Secularism
12 Oct 2016
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Viii: of those who have attained a principality through crimes. Agathocles the sicilian, king of syracuse, came to power through crime. Machiavelli says that agathocles" crimes were accompanied by a virtue of spirit and body. Later says one cannot call it virtue to kill one"s citizens, betray one"s friends, to be without faiththese modes can enable one to acquire empire, but not glory. Possible that machiavelli is contrasting what is believed and what can be said in public; he believes agathocles is virtuous but it would not be appropriate to praise his actions that led to him coming to power. Cruelty is used well when it done all at once in order to gain power and then discontinued directly afterwards. It is used badly when it is persistent and the original cruelty increases with time. People who expect to be treated badly and are then treated kindly are more indebted to their benefactor.
