Machiavelli's Stance on Religion: A Confrontation Based on Effective Reality

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Philosophy Department, University of Kurdistan, sanandaj, Iran

2 PhD in Philosophy, University of Tabriz, tabriz, Iran

10.22059/jpht.2025.391339.1006109

Abstract

Machiavelli has placed the salvation of the homeland and the continuity of the political state at the top of his pyramid of view on the end of politics and has avoided ends that he considers imaginary, examining and translating all aspects and structures of classical thought into this new worldview and end. On the one hand, Machiavelli considers the importance of religion to be very great in the continuation of the political state (whether republic or monarchy), and on the other hand, he introduces it as a double-edged sword that causes hypocrisy, failure, and ruin of a state and society. In this article, the author explains how Machiavelli criticized Christianity in contrast to the religion of the Romans and what solutions he proposes to change the form of the corrupted substance of religion by the church system. The important point is that the new form proposed was previously located in the heart of the Bible, and by using it, Machiavelli presents a definition of religion in order to transform it into a civil and political tool that can stand against the odds in the political and religious definition of ancient Rome and in fact shows his complex stance towards Christiani.

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References

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Philosophy of Religion
Volume 22, Issue 2
July 2025
Pages 163-176

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