Madison on Sympathy, Virtue, and Ambition in the "Federalist Papers"

Abstract

In the Federalist Papers James Madison gives apparently contradictory answers to the question of what qualities of character distinguish the good republican ruler. This article argues that Madison's answer forms a coherent whole if his account of human action is understood correctly. For Madison the virtues are natural impulses that direct people toward proper action but are not themselves strong enough to cause action, while ambition provides the motor of action but cannot direct action to proper ends. Thus virtues and ambition must be conjoined. Madison argues that this is accomplished through the workings of three Constitutional institutions: rule by law, separation of powers, and recurrent election. Together, these three institutions promote the virtues needed for republican rule and spur the action needed to provide it.