Essay: Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli – humanism

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian humanist and writer during The Renaissance time.  Born on May the 3rd 1469 in Florence, Machiavelli was also a politician. He had a senior position for several years in the Florentine Republic, as well as being the secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512. Machiavelli strongly believed in doing what is best for “the state” and its people. His political treatise opened people’s minds to a new way of viewing politics, as well as their moral and social behaviors.
Per Oxford Dictionary, the word Humanism is described as followed “A rationalist outlook or system of thought attaching prime importance to human rather than divine or supernatural matters”.  Humanism is a philosophical stance or a system of belief where the wants and needs of a human-being is the most important aspect. Humans can make choices, whether good or bad. Humans can think for themselves and humans can make mistakes. The humanism movement occurred during the Renaissance era, a period in history that produced several influential writers, artists and philosophers. These individuals influenced their people and future generations, most importantly Niccolò Machiavelli.
Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a piece of literature that emphasize the characteristics and actions that one must possess to become an inspiring leader. This period in history was dominated by laws derived from the church. The people and their political system was primarily based on morals and ethics. Machiavelli’s point of view is that an individual who seeks a strong leadership position must find a way to separate religion from politics. A leader must act in good faith, a leader must be generous and a leader must be wise.  Machiavelli attempted to change the people’s view on the world, he believed in humanism and utilized his talent in literature to emphasize his opinion on what traits a good prince should have. Machiavelli writes that a great leader must be both, feared and loved. Fear would cause the people of the state to comply with its leaders. During that era people believed that everything was a result of a higher power, if it was difficult to comprehend it was blamed on religion. Machiavelli writes in “The Prince” that humans can solve their own problems with their knowledge, hard work, commitment and intelligence. He wanted to move away from the idea that anything and everything was automatically blamed on the church. His humanism view on how a leader should act has certain positive points. He believes that a leader must do everything in his power to ensure the protection and safety of his people. Machiavelli accepts the act of violence, which is in contradiction with the ideology of the church. “The Prince” is essentially a humanism guide on what a prince must do to retain power in Machiavelli’s eyes. He’s a firm believer that a prince must keep his state stable. As stability leads to growth, success, and wealth.
Machiavelli writes that to “understand the People a man should be a Prince, and to have a clear notion of Princes he should belong to the People.” This passage shows how Machiavelli believes that a person who is not a prince is more in touch with the people and therefore may provide a different point of view. This is another passage which shows Machiavelli’s belief in humanism. Machiavelli has strongly expressed his disagreement with the idea that a prince may become a good leader based on his fortune. In “the Prince”, he states that a prince who is in charge based on his fortune lacks the basic skills and knowledge to become a good leader as opposed to one who achieved so on merit. Machiavelli believes that men are naturally evil and will always act in their best interest. A prince may say he will do everything in his power to protect the people of his state. However, that may not be done because of sentiment towards the safety of his people but to gain their love and support. Another task that Machiavelli believes a prince should obtain is the historical knowledge of past great leaders. Machiavelli believes by studying and learning about past great leaders, he can become a greater army general to organize and lead his state to victory in battle.
In conclusion, Machiavelli believes in humanism and that people should be able to make decisions based on their own knowledge and intelligence. He makes a point of the need to separate the idea of governing with the Catholic dogma. Some may view this movement as egotistic and self-centered as people only care about the well-being of themselves.