Justice, or On Statesmanship

Abstract

Chapter 4 examines Fenelon’s ideas on statesmanship. Focusing on his views on the relationship of moral virtue to political virtue, it emphasizes his core teaching that good governance of others begins with good government of the self. Yet the self-rule and self-control that Fénelon asks of political leaders is distinct from the renunciation and “annihilation” of the self central to his spirituality of pure love. Good rulers, he argues, need to cultivate both mastery of pernicious pleasures and openness to true pleasures, as each disposition has a crucial political function. To show this, the chapter begins with Fénelon’s distinction between true pleasure and false pleasure, and then shows how this distinction shapes his lessons on how a ruler ought to be disposed toward ministers and counselors. The chapter concludes by examining Fénelon’s understanding of the practical political institutions most necessary for justice in the state.