Imitation in Machiavelli´s Ars Politica: ambiguities and ambivalences in reinserting Virtù
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31977/grirfi.v21i2.2276Keywords:
Machiavelli; Imitation; Virtù; Ambiguity; Ambivalence.Abstract
By dynamically adapting good examples, accommodating these to the needs imposed by circumstances, Machiavelli reverberates multiple uses of imitatio from ancient and Renaissance authors. Imitation renovates ancient Virtù in civil practices and attitudes, providing encouragement for fulfilling political actions and pedagogical practices, as Machiavelli's role as secretary of Florence and his political, historical and literary writings attest. Thus, after reviewing the notion of imitatio, specifically in antiquity and renaissance, Machiavelli's arguments about the possibility of humans reaching Virtù are contextualized in the Discorsi, Prince, in Florentine Histories and the Art of War, specifically in the proposals to imitate the appropriate actions. Hence, investigations and analyzes of the past produces utility and delight, enhancing the flavor of human actions. Consequently, Machiavelli's writings assure the impossibility of a predetermined definition among possible multiple options (ambiguity) as well as support the possibility to simultaneously choose two, apparently antagonistic, perspectives (ambivalence).
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