Title: Niccolò Machiavelli – The Morality of Power

Title: Niccolò Machiavelli – The Morality of Power

In this episode of Philosophy for Beginners, we leave the humanist gentleness of Erasmus and step into the sharp world of Florentine politics with Niccolò Machiavelli. Civil servant, diplomat, dramatist, and author of The Prince and Discourses on Livy, Machiavelli has been remembered as ruthless and cunning — but his deepest concern was the survival of the state. What does it really take to hold power, to govern effectively, to preserve liberty against invasion and corruption? We explore his hard-eyed honesty about human nature, his vision of virtù and fortuna, and his enduring challenge: can morality and politics ever truly align?

Produced by Selenius Media – Music by The Artificial Laboratory.