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TED-Ed, What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler

What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler

From Shakespeare's plays to modern TV dramas,

the unscrupulous schemer for whom the ends always justify the means

has become a familiar character type we love to hate.

So familiar, in fact, that for centuries

we've had a single word to describe such characters: Machiavellian.

But is it possible that we've been using that word wrong this whole time?

The early 16th century statesman Niccoló Machiavelli

wrote many works of history, philosophy, and drama.

But his lasting notoriety comes from a brief political essay known as The Prince,

framed as advice to current and future monarchs.

Machiavelli wasn't the first to do this–

in fact there was an entire tradition of works known as “mirrors for princes”

going back to antiquity.

But unlike his predecessors,

Machiavelli didn't try to describe an ideal government

or exhort his audience to rule justly and virtuously.

Instead, he focused on the question of power–

how to acquire it, and how to keep it.

And in the decades after it was published,

The Prince gained a diabolical reputation.

During the European Wars of Religion,

both Catholics and Protestants blamed Machiavelli

for inspiring acts of violence and tyranny committed by their opponents.

By the end of the century,

Shakespeare was using “Machiavel” to denote an amoral opportunist,

leading directly to our popular use of “Machiavellian”

as a synonym for manipulative villainy.

At first glance,

The Prince's reputation as a manual for tyranny seems well-deserved.

Throughout, Machiavelli appears entirely unconcerned with morality,

except insofar as it's helpful or harmful to maintaining power.

For instance, princes are told to consider all the atrocities necessary

to seize power,

and to commit them in a single stroke

to ensure future stability.

Attacking neighboring territories and oppressing religious minorities

are mentioned as effective ways of occupying the public.

Regarding a prince's personal behavior,

Machiavelli advises keeping up the appearance of virtues

such as honesty or generosity,

but being ready to abandon them as soon as one's interests are threatened.

Most famously, he notes that for a ruler,

“it is much safer to be feared than loved.”

The tract even ends with an appeal to Lorenzo de' Medici,

the recently installed ruler of Florence,

urging him to unite the fragmented city-states of Italy under his rule.

Many have justified Machiavelli as motivated by unsentimental realism

and a desire for peace in an Italy torn by internal and external conflict.

According to this view,

Machiavelli was the first to understand a difficult truth:

the greater good of political stability

is worth whatever unsavory tactics are needed to attain it.

The philosopher Isaiah Berlin suggested that rather than being amoral,

The Prince hearkens back to ancient Greek morality,

placing the glory of the state above the Christian ideal of individual salvation.

But what we know about Machiavelli might not fit this picture.

The author had served in his native Florence for 14 years as a diplomat,

staunchly defending its elected republican government

against would-be monarchs.

When the Medici family seized power,

he not only lost his position,

but was even tortured and banished.

With this in mind,

it's possible to read the pamphlet he wrote from exile

not as a defense of princely rule,

but a scathing description of how it operates.

Indeed, Enlightenment figures like Spinoza

saw it as warning free citizens

of the various ways in which they can be subjugated by aspiring rulers.

In fact, both readings might be true.

Machiavelli may have written a manual for tyrannical rulers,

but by sharing it, he also revealed the cards to those who would be ruled.

In doing so,

he revolutionized political philosophy,

laying the foundations for Hobbes and future thinkers

to study human affairs based on their concrete realities

rather than preconceived ideals.

Through his brutal and shocking honesty,

Machiavelli sought to shatter popular delusions about what power really entails.

And as he wrote to a friend shortly before his death,

he hoped that people would “learn the way to Hell in order to flee from it."

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What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler |Machiavellistisch|||Pazit|Cahlon|||Gendler |Machiavellian||||||| |マキャヴェリア||||||| |maquiavélico|||Pazit Cahlon|Cahlon|||Gendler Was "machiavellistisch" wirklich bedeutet - Pazit Cahlon und Alex Gendler Qué significa realmente "maquiavélico" - Pazit Cahlon y Alex Gendler Ce que signifie réellement "Machiavel" - Pazit Cahlon et Alex Gendler Cosa significa davvero "machiavellico" - Pazit Cahlon e Alex Gendler マキャベリスト "の本当の意味 - パジット・カーロン、アレックス・ジェンドラー "마키아벨리안"의 진정한 의미 - Pazit Cahlon과 Alex Gendler Ką iš tikrųjų reiškia žodis "makiaveliškas" - Pazit Cahlon ir Alex Gendler Co tak naprawdę oznacza słowo "makiaweliczny" - Pazit Cahlon i Alex Gendler O que "maquiavélico" realmente significa - Pazit Cahlon e Alex Gendler Что на самом деле означает слово "макиавеллист" - Пазит Кахлон и Алекс Гендлер "Makyavelist" gerçekten ne anlama geliyor - Pazit Cahlon ve Alex Gendler Що насправді означає «Макіавеллі» - Пазіт Калон і Алекс Гендлер 马基雅维利 "的真正含义 - Pazit Cahlon 和 Alex Gendler “馬基雅維利”的真正含義是什麼——帕齊特·卡隆和亞歷克斯·詹德勒

From Shakespeare's plays to modern TV dramas, ||||современные|| |as peças de Shakespeare|||||dramas de televisão Das peças de Shakespeare aos dramas modernos da TV, От пьес Шекспира до современных телевизионных драм, 从莎士比亚的戏剧到现代电视剧,

the unscrupulous schemer for whom the ends always justify the means |недобросовестный|интриган|||||||| |gewissenlos|Intrigant||||Ziele||||Mittel |Ruthlessly unethical person|manipulative plotter|||||||| |sem escrúpulos|manipulador||||||justificam|| de gewetenloze intrigant voor wie de doeleinden altijd de middelen heiligen o maquinador inescrupuloso, para quem os fins sempre justificam os meios, беспринципный интриган, для которого цель всегда оправдывает средства безпринципний інтригант, для якого мета завжди виправдовує засоби 为了达到目的不择手段的不择手段的阴谋家

has become a familiar character type we love to hate. |||||тип|||| أصبح نوعًا مألوفًا من الشخصيات نحب أن نكرهه. tornou-se um tipo de personagem familiar que amamos odiar. стал привычным персонажем, которого мы любим ненавидеть. 已经成为我们又爱又恨的熟悉的人物类型。

So familiar, in fact, that for centuries Tão familiar, de fato, que, durante séculos, Настолько знакомый, что на протяжении многих веков 事实上,几个世纪以来

we've had a single word to describe such characters: Machiavellian. |||||||||Machiavellistisch ||||||||personagens| tivemos uma única palavra para descrever tal personagem: Для описания таких персонажей у нас есть одно слово: макиавеллист.

But is it possible that we've been using that word wrong this whole time? Mas é possível termos usado essa palavra de maneira errada esse tempo todo? Но возможно ли, что мы все это время использовали это слово неправильно?

The early 16th century statesman Niccoló Machiavelli ||||Staatsmann|Niccoló|Machiavelli ||||political leader|| ||||estadista|Niccoló|Machiavelli Um estadista do início do século 16, Nicolau Maquiavel, Государственный деятель начала XVI века Никколо Макиавелли 16 世纪早期政治家尼科洛·马基雅维利

wrote many works of history, philosophy, and drama. escreveu||||||| escreveu muitas obras de história, filosofia e drama,

But his lasting notoriety comes from a brief political essay known as The Prince, |||Berühmtheit|||||||||| |||infamous reputation|||||||||| ||duradoura|notoriedade|||||política|ensaio político||||O Príncipe mas sua notoriedade duradoura Но наибольшую известность ему принесло краткое политическое эссе, известное как "Принц", Але його довготривала слава прийшла завдяки короткому політичному есе, відомому як «Принц», 但他持久的恶名来自于一篇名为《君主论》的简短政治论文。

framed as advice to current and future monarchs. |||||||rulers or kings apresentada como|||||||os monarcas concebido como conselhos para os monarcas da época e futuros. оформлена как совет нынешним и будущим монархам. оформлено як порада теперішнім і майбутнім монархам. 作为对现任和未来君主的建议。

Machiavelli wasn't the first to do this– Maquiavel não foi o primeiro a fazer isso.

in fact there was an entire tradition of works known as “mirrors for princes” |||||||||||||princes ||||||tradição|||||||príncipes Na verdade, havia toda uma tradição de obras На самом деле существовала целая традиция произведений, известных как "зеркала для принцев". насправді існувала ціла традиція робіт, відома як «дзеркала для принців» 事实上,有一整套作品被称为“王子之镜”

going back to antiquity. |||Antike |||ancient times |||古代 |||antiguidade que têm origem na Antiguidade.

But unlike his predecessors, |||Vorfahren |||antecessores Mas, ao contrário de seus predecessores, Но в отличие от своих предшественников,

Machiavelli didn't try to describe an ideal government ||||||ideal de| Maquiavel não tentou descrever um governo ideal Макиавелли не пытался описать идеальное правительство.

or exhort his audience to rule justly and virtuously. |auffordern|||||gerecht||tugendhaft |urge|||||fairly||with moral integrity |exortar||||governar|justamente||virtuosamente nem estimulou seu público a governar de forma justa e íntegra. или увещевать своих слушателей править справедливо и добродетельно. або закликати свою аудиторію правити справедливо й чеснотливо.

Instead, he focused on the question of power– Em vez disso, concentrou-se na questão do poder: Вместо этого он сосредоточился на вопросе власти.

how to acquire it, and how to keep it. como adquiri-lo e como mantê-lo. как его приобрести и как его сохранить.

And in the decades after it was published, Nas décadas depois que foi publicado, И в последующие десятилетия после ее публикации,

The Prince gained a diabolical reputation. ||||diabolischen| ||||evil or wicked| ||||悪魔的な| ||||diabólica|reputação diabólica "O Príncipe" adquiriu uma reputação diabólica. Принц приобрел дьявольскую репутацию. Принц отримав диявольську репутацію. 王子从此获得了邪恶的名声。

During the European Wars of Religion, Durante as guerras religiosas na Europa, 在欧洲宗教战争期间,

both Catholics and Protestants blamed Machiavelli |Catholic believers||Reformist Christians|held responsible| |os católicos||os protestantes|culparam| católicos e protestantes culparam Maquiavel

for inspiring acts of violence and tyranny committed by their opponents. ||||||Tyrannei|||| ||||||oppressive rule||||adversaries |inspirador de||||||||| por atos inspiradores de violência e tirania cometidos por seus oponentes.

By the end of the century, No final do século,

Shakespeare was using “Machiavel” to denote an amoral opportunist, |||Machiavellist||bezeichnen||amoral|Opportunist |||||denote||lacking moral principles|unscrupulous advantage-seeker |||||指す||| Shakespeare gebruikte 'Machiavel' om een amorele opportunist aan te duiden, Shakespeare usava “Maquiavel” para denotar um oportunista amoral, Шекспір використовував «Макіавель» для позначення аморального опортуніста,

leading directly to our popular use of “Machiavellian” levando diretamente ao nosso uso popular de “maquiavélico” приводя прямо к нашему широкому использованию "макиавеллистский"

as a synonym for manipulative villainy. ||||manipulativ|Bösartigkeit |||||Deceptive evil acts como sinônimo de vilania manipuladora. как синоним манипулятивной злонамеренности. як синонім маніпулятивного лиходійства.

At first glance, À primeira vista, На первый взгляд,

The Prince's reputation as a manual for tyranny seems well-deserved. |Prinzen||||||||| |||||manual||||| a reputação de "O Príncipe" como um manual para a tirania parece bem-merecida. Репутація принца як посібника з тиранії здається цілком заслуженою.

Throughout, Machiavelli appears entirely unconcerned with morality, ||||unbekümmert|| Todo o tempo, Maquiavel parece totalmente despreocupado com a moralidade, У всьому Макіавеллі виглядає абсолютно байдужим до моралі,

except insofar as it's helpful or harmful to maintaining power. |soweit|||||||| |to the extent|||||||| exceto na medida em que é útil ou prejudicial à manutenção do poder. за винятком тих випадків, коли це корисно чи шкідливо для підтримки влади.

For instance, princes are told to consider all the atrocities necessary |||||||||Gräueltaten| |||||||||cruel acts| Por exemplo, os príncipes são instruídos Например, принцам говорят рассмотреть все необходимые злодеяния

to seize power, |die Macht ergreifen| |Take control of| para tomar o poder, чтобы захватить власть, захопити владу,

and to commit them in a single stroke e cometê-las de uma só vez и совершить их одним махом і вчинити їх одним ударом

to ensure future stability. para garantir a estabilidade futura.

Attacking neighboring territories and oppressing religious minorities ||neighboring areas||Persecuting||underrepresented religious groups Atacar territórios vizinhos e oprimir as minorias religiosas

are mentioned as effective ways of occupying the public. são mencionados como formas eficazes de ocupar o público. упоминаются как эффективные способы удержания общественности.

Regarding a prince's personal behavior, Com relação ao comportamento pessoal de um príncipe, Что касается личного поведения князя,

Machiavelli advises keeping up the appearance of virtues |rät||||||Tugenden Maquiavel aconselha manter a aparência de virtudes Макиавелли советует поддерживать видимость добродетелей 马基雅维利建议保持美德的外表

such as honesty or generosity, como honestidade ou generosidade,

but being ready to abandon them as soon as one's interests are threatened. mas estar pronto para abandoná-las

Most famously, he notes that for a ruler, Mais notoriamente, ele observa que, para um governante,

“it is much safer to be feared than loved.” "é muito mais seguro ser temido do que amado". “被人畏惧比被人爱戴要安全得多。”

The tract even ends with an appeal to Lorenzo de' Medici, ||||||||Lorenzo|| |written work||||||||| O panfleto termina até mesmo com um apelo a Lourenço de Médici, Тракт даже заканчивается обращением к Лоренцо Медичи, Трактат навіть закінчується зверненням до Лоренцо Медічі,

the recently installed ruler of Florence, o governante recém-instalado de Florença, недавно вступившему на престол правителю Флоренции, 佛罗伦萨新任统治者,

urging him to unite the fragmented city-states of Italy under his rule. drängte|||vereinen||fragmentierten||||||| Encouraging|||||||||||| incitando-o a unir as cidades-estados fragmentadas da Itália sob seu domínio. призывающему его объединить фрагментированные города-государства Италии под своим правлением.

Many have justified Machiavelli as motivated by unsentimental realism |||||||unsentimentalem|Realismus |||||||pragmatic, unemotional realism|realism Muitos justificaram Maquiavel

and a desire for peace in an Italy torn by internal and external conflict. ||||||||divided by strife||||| e um desejo de paz numa Itália dilacerada por conflitos internos e externos.

According to this view, De acordo com essa visão,

Machiavelli was the first to understand a difficult truth: Machiavelli|||||||| Maquiavel foi o primeiro a entender uma verdade difícil:

the greater good of political stability o bem maior da estabilidade política

is worth whatever unsavory tactics are needed to attain it. |||unappetitlich|||||| |||unpleasant or unethical|||||| vale quaisquer táticas repugnantes necessárias para alcançá-la. варто будь-якої неприємної тактики, необхідної для її досягнення.

The philosopher Isaiah Berlin suggested that rather than being amoral, ||Isaiah|||||||amoral O filósofo Isaiah Berlin sugeriu que, em vez de ser amoral,

The Prince hearkens back to ancient Greek morality, ||hört zurück||||| ||refers to||||| Le prince revient sur la morale grecque antique, De prins luistert terug naar de oude Griekse moraal, "O Príncipe" tem origem na antiga moralidade grega, Принц восходит к древнегреческой морали,

placing the glory of the state above the Christian ideal of individual salvation. ||||||||||||Erlösung ||||||||||||spiritual redemption colocando a glória do Estado acima do ideal cristão de salvação individual. ставлячи славу держави вище християнського ідеалу індивідуального спасіння.

But what we know about Machiavelli might not fit this picture. Mas o que sabemos sobre Maquiavel pode não se encaixar nessa imagem.

The author had served in his native Florence for 14 years as a diplomat, O autor servira em sua terra natal, Florença, durante 14 anos, como diplomata,

staunchly defending its elected republican government entschlossen||||| Firmly||||| defendendo firmemente seu governo republicano eleito непохитно захищаючи свій обраний республіканський уряд

against would-be monarchs. contra pretensos monarcas.

When the Medici family seized power, ||Medici family||| Quando a família Médici tomou o poder,

he not only lost his position, ele não apenas perdeu sua posição,

but was even tortured and banished. |||||verbannt |||subjected to torment||exiled or expelled mas foi torturado e banido. але був навіть підданий тортурам і вигнанню.

With this in mind, Com isso em mente,

it's possible to read the pamphlet he wrote from exile |||||Pamphlet|||| |||||small booklet||||forced absence é possível ler o panfleto que ele escreveu do exílio

not as a defense of princely rule, |||||fürstliche| |||justification||royal or noble| não como uma defesa do domínio principesco,

but a scathing description of how it operates. ||scharfe Kritik||||| ||harshly critical description|||the manner in|| mas como uma descrição contundente de seu funcionamento. але різкий опис того, як він працює.

Indeed, Enlightenment figures like Spinoza ||||Spinoza |intellectual awakening period|||Spinoza De fato, figuras iluministas como Spinoza

saw it as warning free citizens viam isso como um aviso para os cidadãos livres

of the various ways in which they can be subjugated by aspiring rulers. |||||||||unterworfen||| |||||||||dominated or controlled||seeking power| das várias maneiras pelas quais podem ser subjugados por aspirantes ao governo. про різні способи, за допомогою яких вони можуть бути підкорені правителями-початківцями.

In fact, both readings might be true. |||Lesungen||| De fato, ambas as leituras podem ser verdadeiras. 事实上,两种解读可能都是正确的。

Machiavelli may have written a manual for tyrannical rulers, |||||||oppressive, authoritarian| |||||посібник||| Maquiavel pode ter escrito um manual para governantes tiranos,

but by sharing it, he also revealed the cards to those who would be ruled. mas, ao compartilhá-lo, também revelou as cartas para os que seriam governados. но, поделившись этим, он также раскрыл карты тем, кого он собирался управлять.

In doing so, Ao fazer isso, Таким образом,

he revolutionized political philosophy, |revolutionierte|| |transformed political philosophy|| revolucionou a filosofia política, он революционизировал политическую философию

laying the foundations for Hobbes and future thinkers ||||Hobbes||| establishing||||Hobbes||| lançando as bases para que Hobbes e futuros pensadores заклавши основи Гоббса та майбутніх мислителів

to study human affairs based on their concrete realities ||||||||Realitäten |||human activities||||| estudassem os assuntos humanos com base em suas realidades concretas вивчати людські справи на основі їх конкретних реалій

rather than preconceived ideals. ||vorgefassten| ||preformed or biased| em vez de ideais preconcebidos.

Through his brutal and shocking honesty, ||harsh||| Através da sua honestidade brutal e chocante, Завдяки своїй жорстокій і шокуючій чесності, 通过他残酷而令人震惊的诚实,

Machiavelli sought to shatter popular delusions about what power really entails. |||zerschmettern|||||||beinhaltet |attempted||break apart misconceptions||false beliefs|||||involves, requires Maquiavel procurou destruir as ilusões populares Макиавелли стремился разрушить народные заблуждения о том, что на самом деле представляет собой власть. Макіавеллі намагався зруйнувати популярні помилки щодо того, що насправді означає влада.

And as he wrote to a friend shortly before his death, E, como escreveu para um amigo pouco antes de sua morte,

he hoped that people would “learn the way to Hell in order to flee from it." |||||||||||||escape from it|| ele esperava que as pessoas он надеялся, что люди "выучат путь к аду, чтобы избежать его." 他希望人们“学会通往地狱的路,以便逃离它”。