Um olhar contemporâneo sobre "O Príncipe"

: Raymond Aron, Isaiah Berlin e Leo Strauss, leitores de Maquiavel

Abstract

The aim of this work is to present a contemporary look on Machiavelli's Prince through the works of Raymond Aron, Isaiah Berlin and Leo Strauss. All these twentieth century thinkers during their intellectual journeys addressed the riddle of The Prince. We proceed to a survey of the state of the art and to present the conflicting views of these three authors on Machiavelli. The problem that guides this investigation is in what way the "tyrannical" advices to the Princes concern our liberal and democratic republics? The democratic cunning and "resolve" that Aron defends; Berlin's pluralism; Strauss's recovery of the ideals of the premodern tradition, all these themes belong more to the political philosophy of each one of the authors than to the exegesis of the Prince, but they provide important clues as to the "lesson" Machiavelli can give to twenty first century disenchantment with democracy in the Wesrt. In contemporary political theory, a vision of citizenship that is linked to values such as justice and public order prevails, but one that it is not guided by ethical and moral concerns of statesmanship. The consensus that dispenses with or is inattentive to "virtue" and moral values shared by voters appears to be troubling for three reasons: First, it reinforces the tendency among politicians to feel comfortable dismissingany ethical precepts to achieve their goals. Second, the lack of reflection on the values that underlie participation in public life leaves it even more vulnerable to ideological manipulation. Third, failure to anchor civic commitments in the human aspirations of the population favors the very citizens 's disenchantment with political life and leads them to think that anyone involved in politics as inclined to commit corrupt acts in the name of justice or of public order.

Date of Award	18 Jun 2018
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	José Augusto Guterres Barbosa Colen (Supervisor)