Abstract

J.G.A. Pocock’s The Machiavellian Moment enjoys a high status in the field of Machiavelli research, and stands as a model of how historical research in general should be performed. This essay question both Pocock’s results and method, and does not agree with his interpretation of Machiavelli. Machiavelli’s political thoughts represent a modern view which Pocock ignores, and which contains obvious parallels to Hobbes’ political theories, the essay arguments. Machiavelli’s self-sacrificing ideal, founded in some kind of civic virtue, is therefore rejected. Machiavelli’s political thoughts are on the contrary seen as an early modern point of view regarding the natural rights of social classes, and a brand new conception about ‘reason of state’. Machiavelli’s antique influences and common thoughts of the renaissance are not therefore ignored, but the author claims that the modern and traditional political view Machiavelli holds does not contradict each other.