A Thinker in a Plagued City
Machiavelli’s Epicemic Discourse
Abstract
Niccolò Machiavelli viewed the governance of a state as parallel to the practice of medicine — endeavors characterized by proactive measures during times of prosperity and healing, at times harsh, interventions during moments of crisis. In Machiavelli’s conception, the ruler assumes the role of a physician for the body politic, perpetually threatened by a host of maladies including plague, rebellion, disorder, subjugation, demagoguery, and decadence. The intersection of medicine and politics within Machiavellian discourse constructs a unique narrative framework, reflecting the anxieties and collective traumas of generations grappling with the constant specter of plague resurgence. It appears, therefore, that Machiavelli’s philosophical framework can be interpreted as a socio-political venture akin to a medical intervention, formulated in reaction to both the tangible and metaphorical crises precipitated by the plague. Simultaneously, within the works of this contentious philosopher, we encounter a form of pastiche intended to satirize not only the reality of the plague but also the literature that chronicles it. The dichotomy of discourses inherent within the corpus machiavellicum often prompts scholars to discern a perplexing disjunction between Machiavelli as the progenitor of objective political science, modeled after medical principles, and Machiavelli as the artist, weaving subjective and fictional literary worlds. However, this apparent contradiction can be reconciled into a more coherent depiction of Machiavelli as a thinker, whose central theme revolves around contemplation of the human condition amidst calamity. Both perspectives resonate with the ethos of the Renaissance resurgence following the plague, defying resignation and striving to rejuvenate society.
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