Full Name: Niccolo` Machiavelli
Birth and Death: 1469-1527AD
Biographical Sketch: Niccolo` Machiavelli was born in the Italian city-state of Florence to an old family. He became a civil servant to the republic as an adult. He had several impressive appointments as a secretary to committees for the government. He also was afforded the opportunity to visit the courts of several Popes and other heads of state. It was these experiences that gave him the insight for The Prince. Machiavelli also formed and led an infantry unit in the war that led to Florence's defeat. After the defeat and the rise of the Medici Machiavelli was fired and imprisoned. He spent the rest of his life as an academic.
List of Major Works: Machiavelli's most famous and important work is The Prince. It was a manual written to tell the princes of Italy, specifically Lorenzo de` Medici, how to keep their states and stay in power. The Prince doubled as a resume to secure a position as one of Medici's advisors. Machiavelli also wrote the books Discourses on the First Decade of Livy in which he extols the virtues of the Roman version of republic. He also wrote The Art of War, and a satire called Mandragola.
Key Ideas, Philosophical Contribution: Machiavelli is the first political scientist and the beginning of modern philosophy. He didn't worry about the ideals of right and wrong, he dealt with what worked. His model of government and thinking did not confuse morality with efficacy allowing the study of politics to be separate from the study of morality.
