Self Transformation in Machiavelli and St. Augustine
Uploaded by john03 on Oct 26, 2011
This paper discusses self transformation as described in The Prince and Confessions. (3 pages; 2 sources; MLA citation style.
I Introduction
Self-transformation (or “reinventing” oneself) is not new; it’s been a necessary part of politics of all kinds for centuries. This paper looks at what Machiavelli and St. Augustine have to say about it.
II Machiavelli
In his notorious little book The Prince, Machiavelli gives some very realistic advice to princes who want to be successful rulers. He says that although it would be nice if a prince could keep his word and live by “integrity … not with craft”, experience tells us that the greatest princes have recognized that such things might not be possible. Instead, they have learned that “there are two ways of contesting, the one by law, the other by force…”; the first is appropriate to beasts and the second to men. (Machiavelli, PG). Thus, a prince must understand how to access both sides of his nature; and be, when required, a beast or a man.
However, a prince who uses this technique must also know how to deceive his subjects so they are unaware of the fact that he is using force rather than obeying the law. A prince must therefore learn to transform himself, as needed, while at the same time hiding this transformation from his subjects. This need for circumspection is therefore one of the greatest limits of self-transformation for Machiavelli.
III St. Augustine
In one sense, all of the Confessions is a story of self-transformation, and its limits. The first eight books are an autobiography of Augustine’s life, his passions, pleasures, and search for truth. He was in every sense a human being, which is why he is so much admired: he was a lusty young man who had several mistresses, traveled, read, taught and learned what it was to lose a dear friend to death. He also experimented with at least two other religions or philosophies before returning to Christianity (the “true faith”). He was, to use the modern idiom, constantly reinventing himself, now a sneak thief, then a teacher, finally a religious scholar.
In Augustine’s case, I believe the lesson we can draw is that self-transformation is an on-going process; a learning process if you like. We experiment with various things, whether they be ideologies or drugs, until we find the one that suits us; the one...