國立臺灣大學政治科學論叢

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This    article    examines    the    fundamental    presuppositions    and systematic  articulations  of  Machiavelli’s  political  theory.  I  argue  that Machiavelli’s  thought  presupposed  two  interrelated  sets  of  metaphysical categories: the bipolar opposition between of form and matter, and that of ordinary   and   extraordinary.   The   contrast   between   form   and   matter represents an orientation conceiving politics as an art, which can be traced to Aristotle’s theory of the four causes. The emphasis on extraordinary, by contrast, points to the possibility of radical political change. Based on this framework,  I  provide  a  systematic  interpretation  of  Machiavelli’s  theory of  political  order.  This  article  is  concluded  by  a  brief  elaboration  of  the relevance  of  Machiavelli’s  thought  for  contemporary  political  theory, especially  civic  republicanism  and  political  decisionism.  I  contend  that Machiavelli’s   thought   embraces   both   perspectives,   consequently   a theoretical synthesis is necessary.