Today I'm starting The Prince from Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought (edited by Quentin Skinner and Russell Price). In his introduction, Skinner shares his thoughts on how Machiavelli's position as secretary to Florence's Ten of War greatly influenced his political ideals. In no way am I downplaying his experiences, but I can't help but feel that his thoughts were too easily dependent on the volatile nature of Italian city-state politics of the day. I've also made note of how his sudden and unexplained dismissal from Chancery in 1512 and his torture/imprisonment in 1513 could've influenced his cynical attitude on his subjects.
Also, how did his relationship with the powerful Medici family influence his writings? I get the impression that he's trying desperately to appeal to the newly reinstated family once they returned from exile. Hell, The Prince begins with a letter to Lorenzo de' Medici that's absolutely laden with apparent ass-kissing and praise, as if The Prince was written to curb their favor with him following his imprisonment.
By no means do I have the experience to be called a political philosopher, but I feel like it's healthy to approach a 500 year old book with some skepticism. I'm really interested in his straightforward discussion, and I welcome yours as well. Thanks for any insight into the subject.
This really depends on what you mean by "viable source of political philosophy." Do you mean "will I find political truth here?" Because that is a completely different question.
The Prince is still read, and studied today, if that is what you mean. Harvey Mansfield, for one, argues that Machiavelli was the first person to envision the modern executive (think the president or UK's PM).
Yes, as you rightly note, Machiavelli was trying to curry favor with the Medici by writing "everything he knew" about how a prince should behave. That is valuable and/or interesting from a historical perspective, but I don't think that diminishes the work. Then again, I would argue that every author's position in life "greatly influenced [their] political ideals."
If you read some of his lesser known works, a much more complex picture of Machiavelli appears. He was in fact a republican, which throws his advice in the Prince into a different light. He's not arguing that that is how a Prince should act, in a normative way, but rather just stating what he finds most practical, if you are already a monarch.