Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 29 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-25).

This work presented the question: to what extent did each period and its events have on the development of the various schools of thought concerning Niccolo Machiavelli. The age of Reformation in its quest for theological purity gave birth to the myth of the evil Machiavelli. The Enlightenment, a period which sought reason and science, founded the myth of the scientific Machiavelli. The eruption of nationalism in the nineteenth century created Machiavelli, the patriot, and this was quickly followed in the twentieth century, an age of unrest, by the rebirth of all previous interpretations. These schools of thought developed as much from the changing tide of events as from the scholarly research of the writers. One of the reasons for the diversity of the Machiavellian literature was that each writer sought his antecedents on the basis of myth rather than where it might realistically be found. Machiavelli and Machiavellianism were abused and misused because modern man did not know himself. He viewed his origin incorrectly and thus could rest on no one explanation for himself or -Machiavelli. Machiavellianism developed from a collection of myths, each started in an attempt to explain the unexplainable, man. Not Machiavelli's politics, but what man appeared to be in them, was the drawing power of Machiavelli's work. What Machiavelli meant to say or did not mean to say was unimportant when compared to what scholars believed him to have said.

The purpose of the present study was to provide evidence of discriminant validity for the aberrant self-promotion construct proposed by Gustafson and Ritzer (1994a). The study attempted to differentiate the aberrant self-promotion construct from the Machiavellianism construct proposed by Christie (1970a). The aberrant self-promoter (ASP) has been conceptualized as exhibiting high self-esteem, low social desirability, and a high degree of antisocial behavior. In contrast, the Machiavellian has been conceptualized as an individual who is coldly rational in determining his or her actions and who is adept at engaging in manipulation to achieve a desired end. It was proposed in the present study that although both the ASP and the Machiavellian may be characterized by high narcissism, high self-esteem, and low social desirability, the Machiavellian does not exhibit the antisocial behavior that is a key component of the ASP pattern. The proposed differentiation, based on 28 undergraduate ASPs and 19 undergraduate Machiavellians, involved a structured interview and a prisoner's dilemma game. The results from the interview showed that the ASPs scored significantly higher on the total score, as well as on the subscore for a narcissism-related factor and on the subscore for an antisocial behavior factor. The prisoner's dilemma results, however, revealed no significant differences between the ASPs and Machs. Discussion focused on the insufficient salience of the prisoner's dilemma experimental situation and on the research and organizational implications of the ASP/Machiavellian differentiation supported by the interview. / Master of Science

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This study investigated the relationships between two personality variables, Machiavellianism (i.e., manipulativeness) and locus of control as well as the combined relationships of these two variables with a third, affective variable, job satisfaction. A sample of 225 public school secondary level administrators were given the Mach IV Scale, the Mach V Scale, the Facet-free Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Rotter I-E Scale and a bibliographic personal status questionnaire. The literature reveals that high Machs outperform low Machs When three personal and situational conditions occur. Moreover, Mach orientation correlates with external locus of control and low job satisfaction. All three of the predicted relationships were found to be significantly related as hypothesized. / Ed. D.

Text in French / This thesis is focused upon the political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli. It is a study of both the philosophical presuppositions of this philosophy and its practical implementation. The aim is to determine and evaluate the reliability of its claims in the light of the pursuit of “the common good” from the standpoint of philosophical anthropology. Machiavelli espouses a philosophical anthropology that vacillates between the good and the bad of the human being in pursuit of “the common good”. In the practical implementation of his philosophy, the bad frequently overshadows the good of the human being. It is precisely this obliviousness of the good of the human being that the thesis defended here intends to restore through anthropolitics as the “new science” of the human being. The restoration is at the same time the refutation of the bad side of the human being as the foundation of “the common good” as Machiavellism holds. The centrality of the good side of the human being as the starting point of the anthropolitics defended here assures the inscription of values in politics consistent with the practical pursuit of “the common good” truly beneficial to all human beings. There is no doubt that “anthropolitics” is the starting point of an urgent and a relevant contribution to the international politics of our time. / Compendium critique sur les prétentions de sa fiabilité Cette thèse est axée sur la philosophie politique de Nicolas Machiavel. Il s'agit d'une étude analysant à la fois les présupposés philosophiques de cette philosophie et sa mise en oeuvre sur le plan pratique. L’objectif est de déterminer et d'évaluer la fiabilité de ses prétentions, du point de vue de l'anthropologie philosophique, et ce, à la lumière de la poursuite du “Bien commun” comme idéal. Machiavel épouse une anthropologie philosophique qui vacille entre le bien et le mal de l'être humain quant à la poursuite de “l’intérêt commun”. Dans la mise en oeuvre pratique de sa philosophie, souvent le mal occulte le bien de l'être humain. C'est précisément cette inconscience ou négligence de l'être humain face à la prise en compte du bien que la thèse défendue ici a l'intention de rétablir par le biais de l’anthropolitique en tant que “nouvelle science” de l'être humain. Ici, la restauration sous-entend nécessairement, toujours et en même temps la réfutation de mauvais penchants de l'être humain, lesquels constituent le “contre-pied” au fondement du “bien commun”, dont le machiavélisme s’avère le spécimen parfait. D’où l’hypothèse de centralité humainement sensée, comme point de départ de l’anthropolitique défendue ici, garantit l'inscription des valeurs politiques compatibles à la poursuite des pratiques du «bien commun», lesquelles sont véritablement bénéfiques pour tous les êtres humains. Il ne fait aucun doute que l’anthropolitique constitue, de ce fait, le point de départ d'urgence et la pertinente contribution à la politique internationale de notre temps. / Philosophy / D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)

Text in French / This thesis is focused upon the political philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli. It is a study of both the philosophical presuppositions of this philosophy and its practical implementation. The aim is to determine and evaluate the reliability of its claims in the light of the pursuit of “the common good” from the standpoint of philosophical anthropology. Machiavelli espouses a philosophical anthropology that vacillates between the good and the bad of the human being in pursuit of “the common good”. In the practical implementation of his philosophy, the bad frequently overshadows the good of the human being. It is precisely this obliviousness of the good of the human being that the thesis defended here intends to restore through anthropolitics as the “new science” of the human being. The restoration is at the same time the refutation of the bad side of the human being as the foundation of “the common good” as Machiavellism holds. The centrality of the good side of the human being as the starting point of the anthropolitics defended here assures the inscription of values in politics consistent with the practical pursuit of “the common good” truly beneficial to all human beings. There is no doubt that “anthropolitics” is the starting point of an urgent and a relevant contribution to the international politics of our time. / Compendium critique sur les prétentions de sa fiabilité Cette thèse est axée sur la philosophie politique de Nicolas Machiavel. Il s'agit d'une étude analysant à la fois les présupposés philosophiques de cette philosophie et sa mise en oeuvre sur le plan pratique. L’objectif est de déterminer et d'évaluer la fiabilité de ses prétentions, du point de vue de l'anthropologie philosophique, et ce, à la lumière de la poursuite du “Bien commun” comme idéal. Machiavel épouse une anthropologie philosophique qui vacille entre le bien et le mal de l'être humain quant à la poursuite de “l’intérêt commun”. Dans la mise en oeuvre pratique de sa philosophie, souvent le mal occulte le bien de l'être humain. C'est précisément cette inconscience ou négligence de l'être humain face à la prise en compte du bien que la thèse défendue ici a l'intention de rétablir par le biais de l’anthropolitique en tant que “nouvelle science” de l'être humain. Ici, la restauration sous-entend nécessairement, toujours et en même temps la réfutation de mauvais penchants de l'être humain, lesquels constituent le “contre-pied” au fondement du “bien commun”, dont le machiavélisme s’avère le spécimen parfait. D’où l’hypothèse de centralité humainement sensée, comme point de départ de l’anthropolitique défendue ici, garantit l'inscription des valeurs politiques compatibles à la poursuite des pratiques du «bien commun», lesquelles sont véritablement bénéfiques pour tous les êtres humains. Il ne fait aucun doute que l’anthropolitique constitue, de ce fait, le point de départ d'urgence et la pertinente contribution à la politique internationale de notre temps. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Philosophy)