The Departure And Inheritance Of Classical Republicanism

Machiavelli is an outstanding representative republican thinkers in the period of Renaissance ,he is not only a reviver of classical republicansim, but also a re-interpretator of classical republicanism. The paper attempts to clarify the characteristics of Machiavelli's republican ideology through comparing with the classical republican thought so as to get a conclusion.In what degree,the idea of Machiavelli's republicanism inherits and departs from the classical republicanism. The main body of the paper is arranged to four parts in structure.Part I, "the development of classical republicanism with core beliefs." The section analyses mainly on the development of classical republicanism in Greece and Rome, describing classical republicanism with core words as follows "mixed regime","civic virtue","civil liberties",and summarizes four features of classical republicanism:mixed-banlanced regime is the best regime, the realization of civil liberty depends on national liberty, collectivism is a character of liberty and common good is the aim of community.Part II, the revival of classical republicanism– Machiavelli's inheritance of classical republicanism," This section analyses Machiavelli's republican thought under the background of Italian Renaissance, there are three points in common between Machiavelli's republican thought and classical repblican thought——"Advocating mixed-banlanced regime, giving highly praise of civic virtue,the relation between personal liberty and national liberty" .In these three aspects,Machiavelli's idea of republicanism inherits more from classical republican tradition.Part III,"the turningpoint of classical republicanism - Machiavelli's departure from the classical republicanism," This part focuses the differences between classical republicanism and Machiavelli's republican ideology, and the differences show in the following six aspects: First, the combination of republican factors and tyranny factors in a regimein the meantime,which can be recognized as the biggest difference from classical republicanism,meanwhile,Machiavelli deals with republican factors and tyranny factors well in a regime,tyranny is the necessary method exploited in the period of creating a republic,and republic is the best government form for governance at usual times.Second, reconsidering the conception of "common good" . Machiavelli endorses the idea"common good, rather than individual good makes community great", agreeing that common good mainly can be achieved when citizens who own civic virtue and sacrifice their own interest on behalf of national interest volunteerily. In the context of classical republicanism, common good is a cliche, no one seems to doubt whether its existence or it can be reached. However, Machiavelli reconsiders the conception of common good in the following three points: Machiavelli dos not deny any other form of good when promoting the common good ;Machiavelli expends the extension of conception on good ,some"good"which doe not belong to the category of good in classical republicanism ,however ,belongs to his framework of good system;in Machiavelli's view, to achieve "common good" is only a wish, a status that need everyone pursuit continuously, but it is not a reality ,the most important thing is to solve the conflicts between different good .Third, the trend of republican freedom: from the collectivism to individuality, and from positive to negative. The second part of this paper has explained Machiavelli's thought on liberty inherits classical republicanism tradition - the realization of individual liberty relies on national liberty. However, Machiavelli goes further on this concept. In ancient society, the state has the supreme authority, and citizens should obey the state totally, and then the ancient citizens never have the right of personal freedom as modern right. Machiavelli does not agree with "the overall view of liberty," although he also stressed national interest, such as in wartime (abnormal case), citizens should give up their freedom to defend their nation ,meanwhile he does not completely exclude personal freedom. Machiavelli classified a "public sphere" and "private sphere", this is very ingenious and subversive. Ancient citizens can only pursuit personal values and achieve moral perfection in the "public sphere", while in Machiavelli's theory, citizens in "private sphere" can also achieve personal values. This argument makes the freedom of the individual is no longer totally dependent on the state, which also unintentionally opens a new way for the individual right.Fourth, the instrumental color in virtue.Machiavelli re-interprets the virtues in ancient time and medieval,such as "generosity", "justice" and "honesty" ,He pays more attention to the practical function of virtues.For example, if the monarch has the virtue of generosity, which perhaps tend to luxury , and then leads to the increase of people's taxes. So the virtue is stingy rather than generosity. Becides, different people should have different virtues. Monarch and common people have different virtues consequently, Monarch's virtue shows completely in the "New Monarch" ,who breaks away the traditional moral principle and any restrains of religion ,while civilians should have qualities to defend their country and try their best to make their country stronger enough. The standard for measuring monarch's virtue and civilian's virtue is not the same. For monarch,the standard is whether he can maintain and develop political power as well as protect the republic,and for civilians ,the virtue is also not the meaning in classical republican discourse, it emphasizes the decisiveness and the ability to act timely in political life. At last,the separation between politics and ethics is a great recreation, ethics is no longer the purpose of political life,virtue can be devided into the private sector and public sector subsequently. Since Machiavelli holds pessimistic and distrust attitudes in civic virtue, he emphasizes institution and law in the republic.Fifth, rejecting the idea of the classical republicanism : "natural harmony" . Almost all the thinkers of classical republicanism believe that city is a natural evolution and good political order can be also occurred naturally. Since the gift and charaters of people are different, so each person has his best suited occupations and positions in a community. When everyone performs their duties with dedication and their order, the city formed a good order natrually. The paragraph above contains the meaning of the theory " natural harmony "and" harmony in different class " .However,Machiavelli believes that political order can't be occurred itself, which must be created by external forces, violence is justified in the process of creating order .He does not believe there is any defined organizational principles ,he abandons the natural position and explore to create a "new order and system." At the same time he denies harmony status in class ,he points out that political conflict and social conflict are objective reality, because different classes have different interests and demands, which are reasonable and justified, obviously, the contradictions and conflicts exist in pursuit of interest.The argument can be recogonized a heresy in ancient and renaissance time. On this basis, Machiavelli also proposes a more subversive view: conflict is an objectivity and a necessity: because of the conflict between noble and civilian in Rome,the Roman Republic becomes great, the result of conflict is to produce better laws to safeguard the people's freedom. But at the same time, Machiavelli advocates the conflict should be limitied within a certain range, using legal, institutional and other means to discipline it so as to highten the utility of the regime. "Harmony" ,the core value in classical republicanism is rejected by Machiavelli.Sixth,"restructuring the relations between civilian and the elite."Classical republicanism has a strong color of sovereighing by elites, such as Rome,the official positions was set without salary , only offering chances for the pursuit of glory,so civilian who work for live are excluded from the official positions obviously. Another example is that Roman senate on behalf of the aristocracy essentially holds supreme power. Machiavelli discusses the character of civilian and elite in detail and get a conclusion: the elite and the aristocrats do not have the qualities and virtues compared with civilian, which derives a revolutionary proposition: the civilian system of government can better safeguard the republic and makes it lasting and stable. Referring to the classical republican tradition, Machiavelli gives more important political role in civilian .Part IV, "the impact and comment of Machiavelli's republican thought " Its impact impresses in these two aspects, the transition from virtue-centered republicanism to system–centered republicanism and from "aristocratic republic" to "civilian republic", while the emphasis on the system and the civilian role fits for modern republican ideology,which is also the essence of modern republicanism . Secondly, I call it as"Machiavelli Republican legacy",because its influence on not only republican thinkers but also non-republican thinkers. such as Harrington, Locke, Montesquieu, Hume especially on the Founding Fathers of the United States .Finally, I give a comment on Machiavelli's republican thought, mainly on his own characters in the republican ideology that the peers and classical republican thinkers didn't have.such as his ideas on the perspective of violence, interest ,conflict, domination is not natural legitimate ,political order should be created by external force, as well as pluralism and relativism reflected in his republican thought,which are original and transcend.