Machiavelli - The Human Body

The ideal citizens gladly make war in order to have peace. Nearly constant warfare also provides an outlet for ambitious men to seek fame and booty on the battle field, rather than by staging a take over of the government. Machiavelli proposes a carefully calebrated set of institutions designed to prevent any individual or group from gaining too much dominance. He considered himself a historian, something he shared with his rival, political theorist, guicardini as well as other prominent humanists like leonardo bruni.