He describes speech as, "a characteristic of man that he alone has any sense of good and evil, of just and unjust, and the like, and the association of living beings who have this sense makes a family and a state" (Politics Book I.ii). He argues, that through speech men come to an understanding of what constitutes justice. It is intelligence and virtue fostered through speech that composes the moral language of society. The moral authority that governs Aristotelian thought rests on the notion that man has the natural capability to alter his state of being. .
Machiavelli initially deviates from Aristotle's argument in "The Prince," when he discusses the harsh reality of human nature as it has manifested in political life. In his chapter "Concerning New Principalities which are Acquired," Machiavelli discusses the downfall of Cesare Borgia. Cesare lost his power due to lack of fortune and his refusal to subordinate the role of the Church earlier in his reign. Here Machiavelli refuses to entertain Aristotle's idealistic prospect of our moral potential, but instead instructs men, specifically princes to govern as if others will abandon their moral principles. By assuming that others will act in accordance with their nature, thereby being governed compulsively by their own self-interest, it may appear that Machiavelli rejects Aristotle's argument that man may improve his moral condition, but this is not the case. .
If Cesare had undermined the role of the church in political life prior to his father's death, then one may infer that Cesare's downfall would have been avoidable. Although it seems odd, Machiavelli actually agrees with Aristotle on this point. Machiavelli says that the possibility exist that some men will behave virtuously in a political society, however he cautions men against such an attempt when he writes, "For man who wants to make a profession of good in all regards must come to ruin among so many who are not good" (172).
