Force and appearance

The political actor's cunning in Machiavelli's "The Prince"

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21680/1983-2109.2021v28n55ID20306

Keywords:

Force, Appearance, Cunning, Virtù, Effectual truth

Abstract

In this article, I develop a reading on Machiavelli’s political thought based on the concepts of force and appearance; the problem is delimited to the scope of the book The prince. At first, I interpret the concepts in the light of the images of the lion and the fox, which are exposed by the author in order to specify the meaning of force as vigor and as appearance. Then, I develop the argument through the concept of cunning as a form of political knowledge. From this analysis, the political dimension stands out as a phenomenon circumscribed not by a disjunction between the concepts worked on, but as phenomenally interrelated and constituents of political power. This interpretation, therefore, builds on the notion of “effectual truth” as a structure of a conceptual background that affirms the political realism not only of the real political regimes, but also on political actions.

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References

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Published

26-01-2021

How to Cite

DIAS, L. Force and appearance: The political actor’s cunning in Machiavelli’s "The Prince". Princípios: Revista de Filosofia (UFRN), [S. l.], v. 28, n. 55, p. 166–189, 2021. DOI: 10.21680/1983-2109.2021v28n55ID20306. Disponível em: https://periodicos.ufrn.br/principios/article/view/20306. Acesso em: 23 jul. 2024.

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 55 (2021): Princípios: Revista de Filosofia (UFRN)

Section

Artigos

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