Outline:
Idea: Seek to establish similarities between Machiavelli and Hobbes, talk about some important differences, then conclude with some remarks on how both authors failed to anticipate what would promote peace and liberty as we see in the modern world.
THESIS STATEMENT: On the surface, Hobbes and Machiavelli appear to advocate for polar opposite forms of government. Although their ideologies are different in paper, there are surprising similarities in how they believe liberty and peace are maintained in practice. However, in the end, but both of these thinkers failed to forsee what has proven to secure liberty and peace in the modern world.
Main Point #1: Hobbes and Machiavelli have conflicting definitions of liberty, which creates the illusion that their beliefs on how society should be ordered are incompatible with one another.
I will first unpack why people hold this belief, and later show why this is deceiving.
a) Definitions of liberty. i) Hobbes definition ii) Machiavelli's definition. iii) Example illustrating the difference between the two. iv) How Machiavelli's definition makes freedom under absolute sovereign impossible.
b) Clashing government models. i) Hobbes favors monarchy. ii) Machiavelli favors republican government. iii) Why these clash.
Main Point #2: Machiavelli shares a lot in common with Hobbes in the practical application of his ideals than their philosophical differences would suggest.
a) Machiavelli's tryannical undertones in his republicanism. i) Republics fragile, prone to breaking. ii) Republics must be instituted by sole authority / orderer. iii) Republics, once corrupted, can only be reformed by an armed prophet.
b) Machiavelli's religion functions as Hobbes' absolute sovereign.
i) The values Machiavelli emphasizes in religion.
1. Fear of god.
2. Religion as a tool of social control.
3. How religion facilitates creation of an army.
4. Machiavelli's critiques of Christianity for not emphasizing power enough.
ii) Machiavelli's lack of alternatives to religion.
i) Without religion, Machiavelli believed one must have a prince to sustain order.
ii) Machiavelli's prince is the same thing as Hobbes' absolute sovereign.
Main Point #3 Both Machiavelli and Hobbes failed to forsee what has proven to secure liberty and peace in the modern world. ...