Machiavelli: Two Dispositions or Three?

The Philosophy Society

MACHIAVELLI: TWO DISPOSITIONS OR THREE? 

Andy Knott, University of Brighton.

In all three of his texts dealing with states’ internal affairs, Machiavelli asserts that there are two dispositions in all (city-)states: "those that want to dominate and oppress” and “those that want to avoid domination and oppression”. While this is rightly recognised as a fundamental thesis of Machiavelli’s account of politics, however, he also discusses a third group: “those that accept domination and oppression”. I shall offer a proposal about how this group should be situated in relation to the fundamental thesis and indicate how Machiavelli’s treatment of it is of continuing relevance in our dire neoliberal predicament.