Humanism System of Belief

QUESTIONANSWER

Humanism

Introduction

Humanism is a system of belief that gives top priority to the needs, wants, and the wellbeing of human beings rather than the needs or wants of godly or divine subjects (Hankins 99). It is a system of belief that was introduced and spread during the Renaissance, countering scholasticism and the medieval ways. During the start of the Renaissance, Italy was in turmoil with the invasion by nations such as France and Spain. Italians lost their focus on working together and standing as a democracy to fight against enemies, which resulted in some cities falling to dictatorship. The country began breaking down since its cities were its foundation. In that state of despair and turmoil, it was important for people to adopt a practical approach to life rather than believing in divine intervention blindly (Catholic dogma) as a way of resolving national problems. People had to accept humanism rather than continue to believe in and waiting for the intervention of divine subjects.

It was during this period of turmoil that Machiavelli was born. During his life and career, he held various government positions and was even sent to prison several times. This was mostly because his ideas and concepts on leadership and problem-solving were in strict contradiction of the popular medieval beliefs such as the Catholic dogma. Machiavelli developed his own beliefs and theories describing how the country should be run with authority and by a fearless leader. He described and portrayed the theories in the famous book “The Prince” (Machiavelli 2008). A key concept that Machiavelli included in the book was the creation of awareness among citizens that a ruler needs not to be concerned with honesty, justice, and kindness for the effective running of a nation. This concept conflicted with medieval beliefs about divine kingship – a ruler appointed by God for service to God and protecting the earth from all forms of evil.

While the concept developed by Machiavelli seems to be harsh and to belittle or disregard the divine powers, it is important to keep in mind that he developed it out of the concern for Italy’s unstable political state. Medieval belief and Catholic dogma stated that a king was an avatar or symbol of noble human virtue and a “celestial being” with total authority over people in the cosmological hierarchy. In “The Prince”, Machiavelli argued that a king could only remain in power and achieve success if he is willing to go to the extremity to preserve superiority and his kingdom. He argued that the order of the nation would only be preserved if the king was willing to take extreme measures to maintain his power and rule. He stated that a king should not be afraid of taking strict extreme measures to continue his rule, as indicated in the following excerpts from Chapter III and XIV:

“At this point, one may note that men must be either pampered or annihilated. They avenge light offenses; they cannot avenge severe ones; hence, the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge” (Machiavelli 2008). “A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods, and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank” (Machiavelli 2008).

Another notable and key concept that was proposed by Machiavelli is made in Chapter XVII: “Here a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved… Love endures by a bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever-present” (Machiavelli 2008). Machiavelli proposed that a ruler should go to whatever extreme necessary to maintain order and their rule, regardless of whether they will be feared or loved. He casts an image of a fearless ruler focused on maintaining their power and order within the nation.

CONCLUSION

Machiavelli’s “The Prince” may seem like a guide for evil rulers and dictators. However, a deeper look at the concepts in the book shows that Machiavelli was portraying logical thoughts based on human nature and aimed at ensuring order in the nation. He proposed that the maintenance of a nation is only achievable both finding a balance between cruelty and benevolence. Where a ruler wishes to choose between the two, however, Machiavelli states that it is better and logical to choose cruelty and obedience as opposed to love and benevolence, a proposition backed by the fact that people obey a king that they fear rather than the one they love. The concepts proposed in “The Prince” fueled the rise of humanism and the end of medieval thoughts and beliefs of the ruling.

Works Cited

Hankins, James. “Machiavelli, civic Humanism, and the Humanist politics of virtue.” Italian culture 32.2 (2014): 98-109.https://scholar.harvard.edu/jameshankins/publications/machiavelli-civic-humanism-and-humanist-politics-virtue

Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Hackett Publishing, 2008.https://www.amazon.com/Hackett-Classics-Machiavelli-Niccolo-Paperback/dp/B010MZCCWG