osed the existence of a kind of civil reason that dictated the relationship between rulers and subjects based on the postulates of justice as outlined in classical teachings. This did not view the state as separate from other societal institutions, but rather saw the state as a part of the entirety that was medieval society. As a result, the same reason that governed other aspects of society, such as moral reason, continued to be superimposed on the state.
For Machiavelli, however, this early attempt to delineate a reason of state was inadequate since its postulates were not sufficiently removed from the traditional starting points underlying moral or religious reason. Latini reflected medieval paradigms rather than the emerging paradigms of the early modern period. To compensate for this shortcoming in civic reason, Latini transformed the concept by altering its postulates so that it was more effective in supporting the rapidly changing social and political situation of his era. In many respects, Machia
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