Niccolo Machiavelli · Politics

Virtue Against Fortune

Machiavelli’s drama of the human will against chance: <em>virtù</em>, the ruler’s skill and boldness, struggling to master <em>fortuna</em>, the fickle goddess of luck.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Machiavelli pits virtù against fortuna. Explain what each means and how much control he thinks we really have over our fate, in your own words.

Leads to Friedrich Nietzsche.

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