马基维利(1469～1527年)
Machiavelli, Niccolò
义大利政治家、历史学家及政治理论家。1498年在萨伏那洛拉（G. Savonarola）政权颠覆後崛起。负责外交工作十四年，与欧洲最有权势的政治人物交往。1512年麦迪奇家族重掌政权，马基维利遭撤职，次年因密谋罪名被逮捕、用刑，虽然很快就获释，但无法再担任公职。他最有名的学术论文《君王论》（1513, 1532年出版）是一本给统治者的忠告手册，本来冀望能把这部作品献给麦迪奇，但并未赢得对方的青睐。他认为《君王论》是对於政治的客观描述，因为他觉得人性腐败、贪婪且极端自私，因此建议政府在管理国家时可以不择手段。虽然有人欣赏这部作品见解透彻、才气纵横，但长期以来仍广受责难，被视为愤世嫉俗、善恶不分之作；此後举凡狡诈、不择手段、不讲道德的权谋者，皆称之为「马基维利主义者」。其他作品有一系列关於李维的论述（约1518年完成）、喜剧《曼陀罗花》（约1518年完成）及《论战争艺术》（1521年出版）。
English version：
1469～1527年
Machiavelli, Niccolò
Italian statesman, historian, and political theorist. Born in Florence, he rose to power after the overthrow of Girolamo Savonarola in 1498. Working as a diplomat for 14 years, he came in contact with the most powerful figures in Europe. Dismissed when the Medici family returned to power in 1512, he was arrested and tortured for conspiracy the next year; though soon released, he was not permitted to return to public office. His famous treatise The Prince (1513, published 1532), is a handbook for rulers; though dedicated to the Medici, it failed to win him their favor. He viewed The Prince as objective description of political reality; because he viewed human nature as venal, grasping, and thoroughly self-serving, he suggested that ruthless cunning is appropriate to the conduct of government. Though admired for its incisive brilliance, the book has long been widely condemned as cynical and amoral, and “Machiavellian” has come to mean deceitful, unscrupulous, and manipulative. His other works include a set of discourses on Livy (completed c. 1518), the comedy Mandragola (completed c. 1518), and The Art of War (published 1521).
