Virtue and Power

Relationship between virtue and power:

In both Machiavelli’s The Prince and Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), virtue and power are implied to mean two very different things. In The Prince, “virtù” or virtue is used to mean skill, merit, talent, capability, strength of character, energy, vigor, great effort and power—with talent and skill being used most frequently. Clearly, Machiavelli thought of virtue as being much differnt than power. He used the examples of Theseus, Cyrus, Romulus, and Moses to show that they, by their “virtue”, were able to achieve their various goals, thus giving them power (The Prince, VI). Virtue then, to Machiavelli, is everything and anything that leads to power of any form.

In Doctrine and Covenants 121:41, it says “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned.” Here we see that power, in this case the powers of heaven, can be used only if the wielder has the aforementioned characteristics. Here, the virtue of the priesthood could be taken to mean many different things, but one thing is certain from reading both texts: power comes as a result of having the collective meanings of the word virtue.

How power is gained and maintained:

               The way that power is maintained according to Machiavelli versus how it is maintained according to D&C 121 are completely opposite from each other. In The Prince, power is maintained in a variety of ways such as, but not limited to the following: keeping good supplies (X), avoiding the use of mercenary armies (XII), avoiding generosity (XVI), and not fighting other people’s battles (XIII). D&C 121 teaches that power is maintained “only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (verse 41). D&C 121 even goes on to condemn maintaining power through selfish means saying that “when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves” (verse 37). This is in direct contrast to Machiavelli’s teaching.

               The way that power is gained, like the way that power is maintained, in the two sources is completely opposite. In The Prince, power is gained by having good arms or armies (XII), studying war (XIV), learning how to “not be good” (XV), and manipulating through deceit (XVIII). In D&C 121, power is gained “only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned;” (verse 41). The two methods for gaining power could not be more different.

It is interesting to note that while Machiavelli’s tactics may have worked in the past, they have a very short shelf life. Many of the individuals he gave as examples and used as justification for acting contrary to the commandments of God saw success that lasted only the span of their lifetimes. Many times, they were killed or their legacy died with them such as with with Pope Alexander VI. Case and point, I had not even heard of Alexander VI until reading The Prince. I should note that just because I have not heard of someone does not mean that he or she did not have success. However, much of the work Alexander VI did died with him, and very few know him today. Compare that to the work of Jesus Christ, the ultimate example of power and one in harmony with the principles taught in D&C 121, which continues to influence billions of people today.

What is meant by virtue?

Having examined how power is gained and maintained and how virtue and power are different, only one thing remains: what does virtue really mean? Truthfully, I do not feel that I am completely qualified to answer such a profound question. I will say this though: virtue, in both The Prince and D&C 121 seems to be any characteristic or ability that eventually leads to power. The definition of power then becomes the deciding factor for how to define virtue. Machiavelli said that many of his example princes, by their virtue, accomplished their tasks and gained political, social, and monetary power. Therefore, Machiavellian power is worldly dominance and the virtue that leads to it is the ability of man. D&C 121 says that the powers of heaven are only controlled by the principles of righteousness, or righteous virtues. D&C 121 also says that we should “let virtue garnish [our] thoughts unceasingly; then shall [our] confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon [our] soul as the dews from heaven” (verse 45). The power discussed in D&C 121 is truly the power of God and so the virtue becomes the righteousness of keeping God’s commandments.