Machiavelli, villain or hero? -Part 1

My brother, Dr. Ting-Kai Chen had conducted extensive research on Machiavelli and his book, The Prince. He had made a presentation to the Taiwan Pen Club in New York. He is kind enough to send me his presentation DVD. I watched the DVD, summarize the factual contents and make my own comments at the end of the story.

Machiavellian, according to the dictionary, is being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described.  Yet, the writer of The Prince, was a historian, a writer, an independent thinker, and was considered to be the father of the political science.  When he died in 1527, he was buried with honor at the Santa Croce Chapel (Florence) along side with Brunelleschi (the architect who built the dome), Michelangelo (the artist who sculpted David), Botticelli (the artist who painted the birth of Venus), Galileo (the astronomer who said the earth moved around the sun, not the other way around), and Dante (who wrote The Divine Comedy).

Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469.  In 1478 when Machiavelli was 9 years old, he witnessed the political violence, or the so-called Pazzi Conspiracy in which one of the de Medici brothers was killed while the other escaped the assassination attempt.  He served as Sodeeini's Secretary (equivalent to today's Secretary of State) from 1498 to 1512.  When de Medici regained power in 1512, he was tortured by de Medici.  After Machiavelli survived the torture, he wrote the (either famous or notorious) book, "The Prince" in 1513.

The book, The  Prince , was dedicated to the magnificent Lorenzo de Medici,  to whom Machiavelli considered as a hero even he was tortured by Lorenzo de Medici in 1512.

The Pazzi Conspiracy was an assassination attempt on the de Medici family by the Pazzi family (political rival) who had allied with the Pope in 1478; the time when Machiavelli was only 9 years old.  During the attack, Giordano de Medici sought asylum in a church unaware of the alliance between the church and the Pazzi. He was found and was executed at the church.  Lorento de Medici, on the other hand, used a different tactics to escape the assassination.  He took off his official robe, and disguised as an ordinary peasant, disappeared in a crowd.  After he survived the assassination and returned to take revenge on the Pazzi family, the cruelty the Lorento took on his former enemy was far beyond anyone could have imagined.  Lorento took no prisoner on his former enemy, not even small children or baby.  Machiavelli took notes on this cruelty as part of the traits of 'The Prince'. " Men ought to be indulged or utterly destroyed for if you merely offend them,  they take vengeance. But if you injured them greatly, they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance not to be feared." said Machivalli in his book, The Prince.   In other words, cruelty was sanctioned by Machiavelli as the golden principle of the government.  Machiavelli adored Lorento de Medici, for Lorento was cunning as a fox, and fiercely forceful and  as a lion.  According to  The Prince, these are the traits a political leader must have.  'A political leader, if he cannot be loved and feared at the same time, the leader must be feared.'  However, being feared is different from being hated.  A leader must not steal property from populace, must not do violence against women.  There is no need for generosity as the leader.  'It is too costly of being generous; besides, at the end, the leader must raise taxes to meet his financial need; to which people would hate.'  There is no need for a political leader to keep promise, but he must appear to be honest.  'The Prince is never lack of legislative reasons to break his words.'  The 'end' justifies the 'means'.   Political expediency that includes deceitful tactics will always work because the populace that you govern are forgetful and complacent; they would end up support you if you satisfy their immediate needs.  In this discourse, Machiavelli differed from Aristotle (384-322 BC) and Cicero (106-43).  In Aristotle's view, politics is something 'ought to be', while in Machiavelli's view, politics is 'what is'.  In Cicero's view, 'public and private moral (ethics) are the same', while in Machiavelli's view, politics has no relation to moral (ethics).  --To be continued.

Maki

With the Internet inundating with health information, it is very hard to tell which one is correct; which one is not. For incorrect information, we not only wasted our money, we might set ourselves in a dangerous path. The following story may be an exaggeration; however, most of us are eagerly sold by the snake oil salesman. Enjoy the story:


Once upon a time, there lived a poor family, with a peasant, and his wife, and his son, Maki.  No matter how hard they worked on the field, they could never get rid of debt they had with their landlord.  In fact, their debt grew every year, until when they would pawn everything they owned; and nothing left for themselves.  Their landlord was heartless, and non-merciful.  The landlord visited them often, and if he found out the peasant cannot pay the rent, the landlord would took away a bag of rice.  That night, the whole family would go to sleep, hungry.  

Such harsh living conditions killed both the spirit and the body fresh.  In fact, within 5 years, Maki's dad and mom died.  Maki had finally grew up, he vowed that he would refuse to live under such a miserable condition.  "Things have to be changed." he said.

The harvest time finally came.  It was corn this year.  Maki divided his corn into 2 piles.  One pile, he sold for 2 foxes.  The other pile, he sold for a dozen of chickens.

Of the 2 foxes, he hid one in the ceiling; the other, he put a leash on the fox's neck. Everyday, he would walk with his fox in the village.  Such a strange behavior, of course, attracted attention.  

One day, the landlord stopped Maki and asked MaKi why he walked with fox everyday.

"Now, you are asking me to reveal my deepest secret to you.  This fox is actually trained to 'steal chickens'. With this fox besides me, I am no longer worry about being hungry.  "

Maki strode the fox's head, then released the leash.

"Go to get some chickens for me". Maki commanded to the fox.

Then Maki turned to the landlord.

"Come to my house, and see the chicken yourself."  

The landlord visited Maki's hut.  Surely, he saw a dozen of chickens in Maki's hut.  Maki even invited the landlord  for the chicken dinner.  Over the dinner table, the landlord offered to buy the fox for 200 silvers.  

"Oh, no, no.  I won't sell the fox to anyone.  However, if you insists, I would sell you for 400 silvers."

" You are such a hard bargainer.  All right, I will buy the fox for 400 silvers". The landlord said.

Maki gave the landlord the fox he hid on the ceiling.

When the landlord took the fox home, he strode on the fox's head , released the fox and commanded the fox to steal chickens for the landlord.  The landlord's wife sneered at him.

As soon as the fox was released, the fox dashed into the wood and disappeared.  Meanwhile, the landlord was waiting for the fox to bring back chickens; the days turned week and weeks turned months.  The fox never came back.

"Maki fooled me.  He should be punish."  The landlord was very, very angry.

The landlord's 'son-in-law' was a sheriff.  The sheriff spent no time in arresting Maki, stripping him all clothes  except the underwear.  He tied him to a 'milestone' which is nothing but like a post secured to a very heavy weight.  The sheriff and the landlord wanted Maki frozen to death in the bitterly cold winter night.

While he was tied to the 'milestone', Maki worked out pretty hard trying to lift up the milestone with both leg and back muscles.  Instead of being frozen to death, Maki was actually perspiring.  So, when the landlord and the sheriff saw that, there were shocked and puzzled.

"Nothing to be shocked, for I have a secret treasure.  Look at this undershirt, this is no common shirt.  The shirt makes me cool during the hot summer day and makes me warm during the cold winter night such as last night."  said, Maki.

" Oh, let me have it.  I will set you free plus 400 silvers".  said the landlord.

"The shirt is not for sale for less than 600 silvers", said Maki.

"Oh, you are such a hard bargainer". complained the landlord.

The landlord set Maki free, giving Maki 600 silvers for Maki's undershirt.  That night, he put on Maki's undershirt walking in the village with bitterly cold wind.  Even less than 5 minutes, he was shivering while his wife and the people in the village sneered at him.

"That bastard.  This time, I will certainly kill you." the landlord said.

Next morning, the sheriff arrested Maki.  The sheriff tied Maki up, covering Maki with a big gunny sack, then tied the bag to a tree just overhanging a sea.  The plan was to cut the tree branch, so that Maki with the sack would drop into the sea; Maki would certainly die of drowning.  It was about lunch time.  The sheriff told the landlord that he would 'finish' Maki after lunch.

Meanwhile over the lunch break, the landlord's father-in-law came to visit.  Inside the gunny sack, Maki could see an old fellow with severe hunchback came, while no one outside could see Maki inside.

" I am just having the cure for my hunchback inside the sack.  It does really work.", said Maki.

" Oh, really?  I am just searching for a cure for my hunchback.  Can I try your cure?"  said the old fellow.

" I am not really sure about that.  You know, I paid 100 silvers per hour for this cure", said Maki.

"I will pay you 300 silvers for the sack." beg the old fellow.

"All right, but hurry before I change my mind."   said Maki.

The old fellow untied Maki, and released Maki from the sack.  Maki tied the old fellow up; covering the old fellow with the sack, and tied the sack over to a branch over the sea.

Now, the lunch-break was over; the sheriff and the landlord came back to cut the branch and to send the sack with its victim to the sea.  The old fellow cried out, "Don't do it, for I am your father-in-law". But the old fellow was so feeble that his voice was hardly heard.

The sheriff and the landlord cut the branch sending the sack with his father-in-law into the sea.

"That bastard is finally finished", said the landlord in satisfaction.

A month later, when the landlord saw Maki tending a dozen of geese, the landlord was shocked.

"Aren't you dead?  Who are you?".  asked the landlord

"Hi, Mr. Landlord.  I did tumbled into the sea, where I saw the Dragon King.  He liked me very much that he gave me many treasure, and married me to a beautiful mermaid.  He wanted me to succeed his throne.  But I love the Earth and the village very much that I ask for his permission to live on the Earth. The Dragon King reluctantly agreed.  Here, I am." answered Maki.

Green with envy, the landlord said,

" Could you bring me to the dragon king?  I will give you 1000 silvers."

"  1000 silvers?  You must be joking?  The dragon king wanted me to succeed his throne; I declined.  Why do I need your 1000 silvers?" , said Maki.

"Sorry, I mis-spoke.  But, is it possible for you to bring me to see the Dragon King?", asked the landlord.

Maki thought a while then said,

"All right, but you must keep the whole thing secret."

"Absolutely."  said the landlord.

" Prepare me a wooden barrel  and an iron block; set yourself with an earth-ware vat."  said Maki.

By the time when the landlord got all the barrel, earth-ware vat, and iron bar ready, both Maki and the landlord set to the sea.  After a while when they both were in the middle of the sea, the landlord grew impatient.  

"When shall we knock the door of the sea palace?" asked the landlord.

"Now, we can do it."

" Your majesty, Dragon king.  This is Your honest and righteous Maki.  Please open the door of the sea palace for us." shouted Maki 3 times.

Then Maki knocked on his barrel 3 times; and used full strength knocked on the earth-ware vat.  The vat shattered into pieces, and the landlord sank to the bottom of the sea.