«Жизнь безопасная» и «жизнь свободная»: модальности свободы в политической философии Никколо Макиавелли

Полития: Анализ. Хроника. Прогноз. 2026. № 2. С. 6–20.

Dmitriev T.

The article is devoted to the thematization of conceptions
of freedom (la libertà) in the political teaching of Niccolò Machiavelli. Drawing
on a close reading of the Florentine thinker’s works The Prince and Discourses
on the First Decade of Titus Livy, the author concludes that Machiavelli’s
concept of freedom does not have a single meaning, but rather
several fundamental ones. Among these, the “freedom to live in security” (la
libertà per vivere sicuri) and the “free life” (vivere libero) are of particular
importance. An analysis of these notions shows that they are c losely connected
with the collective symbolic representations held by the people regarding
a desirable way of life and the means of attaining it. While the ideal
of a “safe life” (vivere sicuro), which Machiavelli interprets as a universal
imperative for the existence of the people within a state, presupposes personal
safety and the freedom to dispose of one’s property, the broader and more
elevated ideal of a “free life” in a well-ordered republic enables citizens to
enjoy participation in political affairs and public debate, to hold public office,
and to receive honors. The article demonstrates that understanding freedom
as the capacity of citizens to take an active part in resolving the common
concerns of their state constitutes an essential feature of the classical republican
tradition, whereas its interpretation as security would later become the
dominant conception of civil liberty in the political thought of the European
modernity.

Keywords: политическая свобода, Никколо Макиавелли, Niccolò Machiavelli, concept of liberty, political liberty, civil liberty, "safe life", "free life", понятие свободы, гражданская свобода, жизнь безопасная, жизнь свободная