What “Machiavellian” really means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Kristina Radosavljević

From Shakespeare’s plays to modern TV dramas,

Od Šekspirovih drama do savremene TV drame,

the unscrupulous schemer for whom the ends always justify the means

beskrupulozni intrigant za koga cilj uvek opravdava sredstva

has become a familiar character type we love to hate.

postao je poznata vrsta lika kojeg volimo da mrzimo.

So familiar, in fact, that for centuries

Toliko je zapravo poznat, da smo vekovima

we’ve had a single word to describe such characters: Machiavellian.

koristili jednu jedinu reč da opišemo takve likove: makijavelistički.

But is it possible that we’ve been using that word wrong this whole time?

Ali da li je moguće da smo sve vreme pogrešno koristili tu reč?

The early 16th century statesman Niccoló Machiavelli

Državnik iz 16. veka, Nikolo Makijaveli,

wrote many works of history, philosophy, and drama.

napisao je mnoga dela istorije, filozofije i drame.

But his lasting notoriety comes from a brief political essay known as The Prince,

Ali njegova dugotrajna ozloglašenost

proistekla je iz kratkog političkog eseja poznatog pod imenom Vladalac,

framed as advice to current and future monarchs.

formulisanog kao savet sadašnjim i budućim vladarima.

Machiavelli wasn’t the first to do this–

Makijaveli nije bio prvi koji je ovo uradio,

in fact there was an entire tradition of works known as “mirrors for princes”

zapravo, postoji čitava tradicija dela poznatih kao „ogledala za vladare“

going back to antiquity.

koja datiraju iz starog veka.

But unlike his predecessors,

Ali, za razliku od svojih prethodnika,

Makijaveli nije pokušao da opiše idealnu vladu

Machiavelli didn’t try to describe an ideal government

or exhort his audience to rule justly and virtuously.

niti da podstakne svoje čitaoce da vladaju pravedno i časno.

Instead, he focused on the question of power–

Umesto toga, fokusirao se na pitanje moći -

how to acquire it, and how to keep it.

kako je steći i zadržati je.

And in the decades after it was published,

Tokom decenija nakon svog objavljivanja,

The Prince gained a diabolical reputation.

Vladalac je stekao đavolsku reputaciju.

During the European Wars of Religion,

Tokom verskih ratova u Evropi,

both Catholics and Protestants blamed Machiavelli

i katolici i protestanti su krivili Makijavelija

for inspiring acts of violence and tyranny committed by their opponents.

za podsticanje dela nasilja i tiranije koje su činili njihovi protivnici.

By the end of the century,

Do kraja veka,

Shakespeare was using “Machiavel” to denote an amoral opportunist,

Šekspir je koristio reč „Makijavelijanac“ da označi nemoralnog oportunistu,

leading directly to our popular use of “Machiavellian”

što je direktno dovelo do naše popularne upotrebe reči „makijavelistički“

as a synonym for manipulative villainy.

kao sinonima za manipulativnu podlost.

At first glance,

Na prvi pogled,

The Prince’s reputation as a manual for tyranny seems well-deserved.

reputacija Vladaoca kao priručnika za tiraniju čini se zasluženom.

Throughout, Machiavelli appears entirely unconcerned with morality,

Kroz celu knjigu, čini se da je Makijaveli potpuno nezainteresovan za moralnost,

except insofar as it’s helpful or harmful to maintaining power.

osim ukoliko je korisna ili štetna za održavanje moći.

For instance, princes are told to consider all the atrocities necessary

Na primer, vladarima se poručuje da uzmu u obzir sve neophodne zločine

to seize power,

kako bi preuzeli vlast,

and to commit them in a single stroke

i da ih izvrše jednim potezom

to ensure future stability.

kako bi osigurali buduću stabilnost.

Attacking neighboring territories and oppressing religious minorities

Napadanje susednih teritorija i ugnjetavanje verskih manjina

are mentioned as effective ways of occupying the public.

se pominju kao efikasni načini za okupiranje naroda.

Regarding a prince’s personal behavior,

Što se tiče ličnog ponašanja vladaoca,

Machiavelli advises keeping up the appearance of virtues

Makijaveli savetuje da odaje utisak da je pun vrlina

such as honesty or generosity,

kao što su iskrenost i darežljivost,

but being ready to abandon them as soon as one’s interests are threatened.

ali da bude spreman da ih napusti čim mu interesi postanu ugroženi.

Most famously, he notes that for a ruler,

I, kao najpoznatije, naveo je da je za vladara

“it is much safer to be feared than loved.”

„mnogo sigurnije da ga se plaše nego da ga vole“.

The tract even ends with an appeal to Lorenzo de’ Medici,

Traktat se čak završava obraćanjem Lorencu de Medičiju,

the recently installed ruler of Florence,

nedavno postavljenom vladaru Firence,

urging him to unite the fragmented city-states of Italy under his rule.

u kome ga poziva da ujedini rasparčane gradove-države Italije pod svojom vlašću.

Many have justified Machiavelli as motivated by unsentimental realism

Mnogi su opravdali Makijavelija govoreći da je motivisan nesentimentalnim realizmom

and a desire for peace in an Italy torn by internal and external conflict.

i željom za mirom u Italiji rastrzanoj unutrašnjim i spoljnim sukobima.

According to this view,

Prema ovom mišljenju,

Machiavelli was the first to understand a difficult truth:

Makijaveli je prvi shvatio tešku istinu:

the greater good of political stability

veće dobro političke stabilnosti

is worth whatever unsavory tactics are needed to attain it.

vredno je bilo koje neprijatne taktike koja je potrebna da bi se postigla.

The philosopher Isaiah Berlin suggested that rather than being amoral,

Filozof Ajzaja Berlin je izneo pretpostavku da se, umesto amoralnosti,

The Prince hearkens back to ancient Greek morality,

Vladalac poziva na moralnost Stare Grčke,

placing the glory of the state above the Christian ideal of individual salvation.

stavljanje slave države iznad hrišćanskog ideala spasenja pojedinca.

But what we know about Machiavelli might not fit this picture.

Ali ono što znamo o Makijaveliju se možda ne uklapa u ovu sliku.

The author had served in his native Florence for 14 years as a diplomat,

Ovaj autor je 14 godina služio u svojoj rodnoj Firenci kao diplomata,

staunchly defending its elected republican government

odlučno braneći izabranu republičku vladu

against would-be monarchs.

od onih koji su pretendovali na vlast.

When the Medici family seized power,

Kada je porodica Mediči preuzela vlast,

he not only lost his position,

ne samo da je izgubio svoj položaj,

but was even tortured and banished.

već su ga čak mučili i prognali.

With this in mind,

Imajući to u vidu,

it’s possible to read the pamphlet he wrote from exile

ovaj pamflet koji je napisao iz izgnanstva možemo čitati

not as a defense of princely rule,

ne kao odbranu vladavine,

but a scathing description of how it operates.

već kao zajedljiv opis načina na koji funkcioniše.

Indeed, Enlightenment figures like Spinoza

Zaista, prosvetitelji kao što je Spinoza

saw it as warning free citizens

videli su ga kao upozorenje slobodnim građanima na razne načine

of the various ways in which they can be subjugated by aspiring rulers.

na koje ih mogu potčiniti slavoljubivi vladari.

In fact, both readings might be true.

Zapravo, oba tumačenja bi mogla biti tačna.

Machiavelli may have written a manual for tyrannical rulers,

Makijaveli je možda napisao priručnik za tiranske vladare,

but by sharing it, he also revealed the cards to those who would be ruled.

ali je, podelivši ga, takođe otkrio karte onima kojima će se vladati.

In doing so,

Na taj način,

he revolutionized political philosophy,

izvršio je preokret u političkoj filozofiji,

laying the foundations for Hobbes and future thinkers

postavivši osnove za Hobsa i buduće mislioce

to study human affairs based on their concrete realities

da izučavaju ponašanje ljudi na osnovu njihove konkretne stvarnosti

rather than preconceived ideals.

umesto unapred formiranih ideala.

Through his brutal and shocking honesty,

Kroz svoju brutalnu i šokantnu iskrenost,

Machiavelli sought to shatter popular delusions about what power really entails.

Makijaveli je nastojao da sruši popularne zablude

o tome šta moć zaista podrazumeva.

And as he wrote to a friend shortly before his death,

I kao što je napisao prijatelju neposredno pre svoje smrti,

he hoped that people would “learn the way to Hell in order to flee from it."

nadao se da će ljudi „naučiti put do pakla kako bi pobegli iz njega“.