Morality: Comparing Hobbes and Machiavelli

One of the main premises of Leviathan and The Prince is morality. Where morality comes from, how it affects people under a political structure and how human nature contributes or doesn’t to morality. Hobbes and Machiavelli differ widely on each subject. Machiavelli’s views on morality, based upon a literal interpretation of the satire The Prince, is very much a practical and realistic approach to the nature of morality and human nature. Hobbes’ views, based in Leviathan, are of a more idealistic nature, and my views are a little in between the two.

One of the major connections between the two works is the relationship between morality and the state. Both differ widely on where morality comes from and whether the state’s origin is from morality, or whether morality stems from the state. Machiavelli’s view of morality and state are as pragmatic as the rest of his work. He realizes that morality comes before the state, and that without morality, there can be no state. However, he tempers this with the statement that while morality may be what builds the state, morality cannot always be the guiding light for a ruler. When ruling a country, certain situations crop up where the guiding morality of the populace has no place. "But one cannot have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world." (Prince 508) For instance, when in contact with another society with different morals, during war, political maneuvering for the good of the people or state, et cetera.

Another aspect of Machiavelli's writings is that siding with the populace, rather than the state, can be considered a morally "good" thing, if only because the people will be content and uprisings will not despose the rule...

... middle of paper ...

...lares that a goat needs to be butchered every other monday to appease the sun god, it doesn't make it a moral thing. The same with majority rule governments. Just because everyone says that the sun revolves around the earth, doesn't necesarily make it so. Morality is an objective goal, one that can be figured out and applied. For instance Sam Harris, a scientist-cum-philosopher, makes a fine point in his book, The Moral Landscape, that what is moral and ethical can be found out objectively and using science, or at the very least, common sense. Humanity may be born in a state of Tabula Rasa or savagery such as Hobbes describes, but it's quite easy to figure out that killing people for the fun of it is bad, and that stealing tends to make people angry. Making people, especially savages, angry can never be a good thing. Therefore, it is a good idea not to steal or kill.