Realism and prophecy in Machiavelli and in Italian political culture

That Niccolo Machiavelli was a realist political theorist is perhaps one of the few claims on which scholars agree almost unanimously. The truth, however, is that his writings exhibit a blend of political realism and prophetic spirit. By realism I mean his belief that before any normative discussion on how human beings should behave in political life, we must properly understand how they behave in reality. By prophetic spirit I refer not only to the presence in his writings of prophecies concerning the future of Italy, but also to his condemnations of the corrupt morals and religion of his time and his indications of the path to moral and political redemption, which echo the Old Testament prophets. Of the two sides of Machiavelli's legacy - realism and prophecy - the second has surely helped the cause of Italian liberty more than the first. When Italians have interpreted Machiavelli as a pure realist, they have lost their liberty and have plunged into political and moral corruption. The purpose of this paper is to defend these claims.