HERITAGE OF POLITICAL AND LEGAL THOUGHT IN THE WORKS OF MACHIAVELLI. PILLAR OR FACADE OF NEW POLITICAL IDEAS
Keywords
Machiavelli, history of political and legal thought, republic, innovation, interpretationAbstract
The research object of the article is the search for answers to the following questions: to what extent were Machiavelli’s ideas on political solutions and the future of Florence and Italy determined by the heritage of political and legal thought? Did he see this heritage as a form of legitimising his suggested political solutions and an unquestionable authority? In such a case, it is also reasonable to ask whether it was a constraint on his original ideas? Or maybe, since he is known for the idea that the end justifies the means, he referred to this heritage in a completely instrumental manner? To put it in another way, did he treat this heritage as a pillar or just a facade of his work? This analysis of Machiavelli's treatises led to the conclusion, that this heritage was just a beautiful façade for him, because although referring to it is an important part of his narrative about the world of politics, moreover, he proved that using it does not have to be less important and boring at all; his innovative and bold ideas, which are independent of the existing discourse about politics, are in the foreground. It is because of those ideas that his treatises are still a compulsory read for all those wishing to debate substantively about the state, law, and the mechanisms of politics.
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