Machiavelli, Mark Twain, Pindarus Human Nature, Politics and Love
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.
Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.
But are we really incapable of loving and ruling our lives by ethical purposes, as his words suppose?
To pretend that evil is not within us is obviously foolish. It’s salutary to recognize our evil side and distrust ours pretensions. To believe too much in our good side is a cause of many fanaticisms, wars and crimes.
But is human nature the «fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain» stuff of Machiavelli?
It would be rather reducing. The Machiavelli terms are clearly inadequate to define men and human nature. We have in us primary reflexes and instincts that can both feed the bad and the good. We are more like a moon with two sides («Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody», Mark Twain). We are capable of the worst, but also capable of the best, as Pindarus said:
To pretend that evil is not within us is obviously foolish. It’s salutary to recognize our evil side and distrust ours pretensions. To believe too much in our good side is a cause of many fanaticisms, wars and crimes.
But is human nature the «fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain» stuff of Machiavelli?
It would be rather reducing. The Machiavelli terms are clearly inadequate to define men and human nature. We have in us primary reflexes and instincts that can both feed the bad and the good. We are more like a moon with two sides («Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody», Mark Twain). We are capable of the worst, but also capable of the best, as Pindarus said:
Men are a shadow’s dream. Nevertheless when a blessed glory shined on them, a clear light descends upon men, and serene life.
We can raise our human nature through our conscience and intelligence. We have a dark side, but we have also love in us. We can raise our capability of love, and deny Machiavelli. The moony dark side will always persist. But also the much more glorious other side. It's our nature.
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