 Dr. Raymond Angelo Belliotti |
Machiavelli, born in the late 15th century, is most often viewed as a thinker who separated morality from politics or who championed Roman, pagan morality over conventional, Christian morality. But Dr. Belliotti, who began studying Machiavelli as an undergraduate student in the 1960s, contends that Machiavelli’s innovation is his understanding of irresolvable moral conflicts that exist within political leaders who fulfill the duties of their offices while accepting the authority of absolute moral principles.
“I was motivated by the popular conception of ‘Machiavellianism’ as clever, effective deceit while performing public service in pursuit of personal goals. I found the popular conception a simplistic reading of his work,” Dr. Belliotti said.
Machiavelli, he explained, was a moral pessimist who insisted that politicians must “risk their souls” while conducting their public responsibilities. The outcome is that politicians and military leaders must dirty their hands in service to their constituents, Dr. Belliotti said. That is the case when a strong leader establishes a state or reforms a corrupt one. History invariably excuses the horrifying actions that are required in these cases.
Dr. Belliotti neither characterizes Machiavelli as a liberal humanist nor paints him as a teacher of evil. Instead, “Niccolo Machiavelli: The Laughing Lion and the Strutting Fox,” offers a balanced understanding of the Florentine republic and an insightful examination of the stunning discoveries and glaring errors that arise from Machiavelli’s conclusion that international affairs have always been and will always be a series of sum-zero contests.
“Machiavelli must be understood in historical and political context, but his work has great, usually unappreciated, significance for philosophical and moral theory,” he said.
A Fredonia Joint Labor-Management Professional Development Grant assisted in research work for the book.
The book can be purchased through online vendors and will soon be carried in most chain stores.
A prolific author and a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, Dr. Belliotti has written eight books in the last 16 years, including “What is the Meaning of Human Life,” published in 2001, which was a finalist in the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy’s “Book of the Year” award.
Dr. Belliotti earned his doctorate from the University of Miami and his J.D. from Harvard University. He was the recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the William T. Hagan Young Scholar/Artist Award, the Kasling Lecture Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship, and the SUNY Foundation Research & Recognition Award. He joined the SUNY Fredonia faculty in 1984.
