Abstract

The main objective of the dissertation is to find the basic concepts of a general theory of politics in the writings of Machiavelli and Spinoza. The primary task is to answer the questions: What is politics? What are the main characteristics of it? and What are the limits of politics? I present two basic contentions. One is that there is not only a great similarity both in the content and the form in which both authors deal with the problems of politics, but that we could read Spinoza's political works as a development on Machiavelli's thought. The second is that both authors offer, in combination, the basic elements of a general theory of politics, a theory that gives us a theoretical account. It is also important to stress that both Machiavelli and Spinoza propose a naturalistic and immanent conception of human nature and of politics. Both share a conception of human nature as controlled basically by passions, in which rationality is not a faculty but a derivative form of the passions. There is a basic element that determines the behavior of human beings: "ambition" for Machiavelli and "conatus" for Spinoza, which refers to the tendency that each being has to persevere in its being. They provide a conflictive conception human nature and this makes peace and security the basic problems of politics. For both politics is an activity which is the outcome of two different but interrelated conditions. One is the fact that human beings must, necessarily, interact with each other. The other is that this interaction produces always conflict and lack of security. Politics is the activity that through the exercise of power , provides security and stability. There is a particular word that designates the phenomenon of politics in both authors. It is not 'politica' or ' politicus', but 'imperio' , which has had a variety of meanings, but they all point to the exercise of power and sovereignty. They accept the importance of a naturalistic and immanent conception of political values, and prefer freedom, equality, rule of law, republics and democracy