To read Machiavelli through the lens of relational monism is to discover a thinker who was never the patron saint of cynicism, but rather an early anatomist of political fields. His writing does not propose a morality of domination; it describes the dynamics of tension, discontinuity, and modulation within a social space that is already in motion. When approached in this way, The Prince becomes less a manual for rulers and more a study of how relations behave under pressure.
Machiavelli’s famous distinction between the lion and the fox is often reduced to a contrast between force and cunning. Yet, in a relational ontology, these figures represent two complementary modes of modulation. The lion embodies the capacity to stabilise the field through decisive energy; the fox embodies the capacity to reconfigure the field through intelligent adaptation. Neither is sufficient alone. A political agent who relies solely on force fractures the field; one who relies solely on cunning lacks the amplitude to shape it. Machiavelli’s insight lies in recognising that political effectiveness emerges from the interplay of these modes, not from the dominance of either.
His reflections on generosity and parsimony reveal a similar relational sensitivity. Generosity expands the field, creating temporary goodwill but risking structural weakness if applied without restraint. Parsimony contracts the field, preserving resources but generating tension if perceived as neglect. Machiavelli does not moralise these tendencies; he observes how each alters the distribution of energy within the political space. In relational terms, generosity increases amplitude, parsimony increases density. The ethical task is not to choose one over the other, but to modulate both in accordance with the state of the field.
What makes Machiavelli particularly resonant for relational monism is his dialectical view of political reality. He understands that every action carries its opposite within it, that stability contains the seeds of instability, and that continuity can become harmful when the field demands discontinuity. His analyses are not linear but dynamic: they trace how relations shift, break, and recombine under the pressure of circumstance. This is precisely the terrain in which the Ethics of Political Discontinuity operates.
Placed in historical context, Machiavelli becomes a precursor to a relational ethics of effectiveness. He recognises that ineffective action produces harm, that hesitation can deepen fractures, and that political responsibility requires the courage to intervene with precision. His work does not celebrate ruthlessness; it acknowledges that the field itself imposes constraints and demands. To act well is to act with an understanding of these demands, not with an abstract moral ideal detached from the relational fabric.
In this light, Machiavelli’s relevance is not diminished by contemporary sensibilities. His occasional remarks that today would be judged harshly are artefacts of his time, not foundations of his thought. The core of his work remains a lucid analysis of how political relations behave when subjected to tension. Relational monism does not rehabilitate Machiavelli; it recognises that he was already studying the very dynamics that define political life in a splintered, interdependent world.
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