Machiavelli: satire or sincerity?

What was the most outrageous statement/idea that Machiavelli wrote? Was he right? Why or why not? Taking the same statement, would Machiavelli's philosphy apply today? Why or why not?

While I was reading Machiavelli's The Prince, I was struck by the level of satire in the book. From what I had heard of the book, I expected it to be serious in its outrageous claims, but instead I felt like Machiavelli was making all those outrageous claims to support the opposite of what he was saying. I am convinced that the majority of his work was intended to be satirical, not to be taken seriously.

One of the phrases that jumped out at me most was "...it is perfectly possible to be feared and not hated...." (page 46). The phrase was in context of how a people should feel about their Prince, and how crucial it is for a Prince to maintain rule by inspiring fear in the people while still being loved.

This idea was meant to appear completely ridiculous. Love and fear cannot exist in the same place, because the two are totally opposite. There is a way to maintain order and respect without involving fear. True loyalty is always motivated by love rather than fear. This would not have worked efficiently in Machiavelli's day, nor does it work in our day. We can look at a variety of systems of government throughout the world in the last few centuries, and see that the ones that were/are most successful had citizens motivated by a love for their country rather than a fear of government. Oppression, as well as militaristic rule, leaves citizens in fear of their lives and freedom. Countries with governments such as these have most often been toppled from within, by citizens who were so afraid of losing their rights or so tired of not having rights that they rose up and completely disintegrated their leaders, often violently.

parallels in Roman-American society

As a sequel to the previous post about the societal ills of America, the satirical Juvenal's Satire III discusses many of Rome's societal issues, many of which parallel America's issues with alarming accuracy.

• degeneration of the family unit in America -- "Here Numa held his nightly assignations with his mistress;"

There are other examples in the text, but the glorification of the abandonment of traditional family values give evidence for the cultural degeneration of the family in Rome, when fidelity in marriage is no longer valued above having a mistress or succumbing to the generic human drives above one's duty to family.

• consumerism/commercialism in America -- "In Rome, every one dresses smartly, above his means, and sometimes something more than what is enough is taken out of another man's pocket. This failing is universal here: we all live in a state of pretentious poverty."

Juvenal says it so well. We have the cultural tendency to live beyond our means, following a shift in our culture in the 1980s when we believed there would be no tomorrow (due to the cold war and Y2K superstitions) and, following that, the emerging desire to outspend neighbors. The emphasis is on show rather than simplicity and enjoyment of what one has.

• class separation in America -- "And besides, not to flatter ourselves, what value is there in a poor man's serving here in Rome...? Here in Rome the son of free-born parents has to give the wall to some rich man's slave;"

In America, we use the phrase "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer" and this sentiment is adequately captured in Juvenal's statement here. The son of a free man has less opportunity than even the slaves of the rich, so rich is the upper class.

• economic/political unrest -- "Who but the wealthy get sleep in Rome? There lies the root of the disorder."

Juvenal's entire satirical rant indicates a political dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in Rome, and his opinions were likely shared by many. The idea of separation between rich and poor, with the power being in the hands of the rich, is often a precursor to war and anarchy (think the French Revolution when the people revolted). Despite what politicians would have us believe, the middle class is disappearing, and with it the economic and political balance. Our politicians in Washington don't seem to hold the slightest interest in their constituents (think the government shutdown when all politicians continued to receive pay).

• desensitization to violence, immorality through media and cultural standards -- "There's death in every open window as you pass along at night; you may well be deemed a fool, improvident of sudden accident, if you go out to dinner without having made your will."

As society degrades, there is often an accompanying increase in violence and with it, a decreased awareness for the severity of the violence. Those who are desensitized to violence are less likely to hesitate from participating in violence, and the society begins to spiral towards chaos and often war.