This drawback was turned preciso advantage per the nineteenth century, following the great spiritual upheaval of the French Revolution
As the nineteenth century advanced, the influence on thought and customs exercised by the established churches and by religion per general waned more and more; ciò che è getiton as verso result, all the writers, thinkers and artists whom the churches had endeavored esatto discredit came sicuro be admired, glorified and proclaimed as champions of humanity. Machiavelli benefited by this sudden change.
Because Machiavelli was verso great spirit and did not deserve ignominy, the nineteenth century performed an act of justice durante rehabilitating him. But it went too far. Instead of demonstrating that he was not the creator of the Machiavellism which the moralists and theologians had denounced, instead of praising him for his rete di emittenti as verso whole — which had per niente relation to the false Machiavellism wished on him by his slanderers — the men of the nineteenth century continued esatto attribute that doctrine puro him. But instead of cursing it as evil, they hailed it as verso beacon light for mankind. Instead of destroying the legend, they revived it.
Machiavelli was per great spirit, but he was wrong when, exasperated by his humiliations, he advised new dynasties esatto destroy their predecessors, when he vindicated C?sar Borgia, an assassin, and when he brutally declared that per prince need not respect verso treaty if it does not suit his interests. Durante these fleeting moments of darkness he forgot one of life’s great truths — that nothing is more disastrous than preciso proclaim that verso moral law is useless because it is easily violated. The more easily it is violated, the more must its unquestionable sanctity be affirmed. In every epoca there are husbands and wives who are unfaithful. That is mai reason to proclaim by law that each member of per family is free puro do as he pleases. On the contrary, it should be affirmed more vehemently than ever that marital fidelity must be preserved. Durante each epoch treaties are violated, but that is per niente reason for openly admitting that treaties are scraps of paper. The world will become per frightful chaos when it officially admits that treaties can be broken at will.
The Catholic and Protestant theologians of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries went beyond the bounds of human possibilities durante their desire puro moralize everything — art, literature, politics, accommodant life. But their doctrine was basically sound. Morality is neither art nor politics nor everyday life. Morality is a body of principles and rules which must be applied mediante every realm of human activity: sopra family life as per business, mediante art as sopra politics. Moral laws determine the exact limits which the private citizen and the public official, the artist and the merchant, cannot exceed if he wishes his deeds esatto benefit both himself and others; if he wishes to contribute preciso the order of the world rather than its destruction.
Three centuries have depicted Mephistopheles, perched on Machiavelli’s shoulders, dictating these words. Yet when we scrutinize this text, what do we find? The theory rebus sic stantibus is familiar preciso the jurists. Per verso few brutally direct lines, Machiavelli says what generations of jurists have repeated durante involved legal terminology — that per state need not observe verso treaty when altered circumstances make observance too difficult or dangerous.
Sopra their zeal, they advised the employment of means which we can in nessun caso longer condone
The discovery of traces of an imposing political and military civilization per the ruins of Greece and Rome precipitated the revolt. The human spirit, arrived at the gates of Heaven, abruptly returned puro earth, determined to explore it, onesto seize its treasures, to learn anew the science of war and of politics, sicuro solve the bega of life and of history. As states and armies sprang up, as human thought penetrated the mysteries of nature and of man, the sacred word lost its potency; domination by supernatural power grew feeble; the unarmed Roman Empire declined.
He was per seer, then, a great seer. But he was naive. He saw so far into the future that he could no longer see the present. He was right: Italy would be engulfed sopra the ruin of medi?val theocracy if she did not free herself. But he was naive esatto think that Italy could free herself sopra per few years merely with the pen of a great writer and the sword of per great prince. Centuries bolla can destroy what centuries have created. A gifted prophet who lavishes upon his contemporaries advice that is absurd and impossible because it is too profoundly true is verso pathetic person.
That century was characterized, con Europe as sopra America, by verso general and rapid secularization of politics, administration, intellectual and affable life, and morals
This moralization of politics was one of the most noble and fruitful preoccupations of western thought during the two centuries preceding the French Revolution. Sopra this respect Catholic and Protestant theologians deserve well of humanity. But Machiavelli was the victim of their zeal. His books were read because they were the rete di emittenti of verso superior mind; yet his three capricious remarks directed against morality mediante politics were too easy a target for the moralists and theologians preciso resist. Hence Machiavelli became the champion of political immorality.