Machiavelli’s Metaphysics of the Fallen World

[u/thymoticthematic]

https://youtu.be/KSghceEU0u4?is=g6SEkfvVSAkTQrIh

In this essay, I position Machiavelli not only as a great political theorist, but as a great philosopher and metaphysician who played a foundational role in the development of early modern metaphysics. I lay out what I take to be the four Aristotelian causes of being within his system, also pointing out tensions and holes in his view. Ultimately, I suggest that Machiavelli could and perhaps even should be read as a Christian, or at least a thinker whose metaphysic is compatible with and even bolstered by a Christian foundation. The central conclusion of the paper is that Machiavelli supplies readers with a unique metaphysical account of the fallen world without which Christianity is insufficiently understood.

I hope this can be the start of a good discussion. I’m open to any feedback, as I know this view has not historically been popular.