The Concept Of Necessita In Machiavelli’s Realistic Philosophy

The core meaning of Machiavelli’s realistic political theory is observing and thinking about the human nature, environment and society based on the reality, with a kind of practical wisdom and empirical way of thinking, then finding out some certain standards and rules for further actions. Through my study of his books, I found out the essence and the core concept of Machiavelli’s realistic political philosophy-"Necessity". "Necessity" is different from the meaning in the traditional circumstances. Actually, it is a collection of multi-limiting structure of a pattern in a particular form and a particular environment, which is exposed to the political dynamics. The "Necessity" itself contains the "either living or immoral" dilemma. On the one hand, "Necessity" limits the political actions of rulers, so they have to make a choice between survival and immorality; on the other hand, because of the dual nature of "Necessity", it could create a feeling of fear, as well as inspire a sense of glory, which re-open a new direction for political actions, and it also teaches people how to take actions according to the necessity of humanity, the environment, and the national necessity. Abiding by the "Necessity", people could develop their virtue and the prudential skills to fight against the changeable fortune, and finally achieve freedom. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the important foundation of the realism of Machiavelli’s political philosophy through my interpretation and analysis of "Necessity", and I try to point out the importance of this concept.