Pomponazzi e Machiavelli, 'Pomponatistae' e 'Macchiavellistae' : teoria dello Stato e 'impostura delle religioni'

Two of the most influential philosophers of the Italian Renaissance, Pietro Pomponazzi and Niccolò Machiavelli, display a radical idea of religious phenomena, whose utilitarian function they theorize in order to establish the political body and to pursue the ethical integrity of the people. Although Pomponazzi and Machiavelli stem from different philosophical backgrounds, this essay shows that it is possible to assume that they shared some common sources, and possibly even direct knowledge of each other, which could explain their similarities. Moreover, since the affinity between Pomponazzi and Machiavelli was noticed and discussed soon after their deaths, this essay offers a concise presentation of the history of these philosophers’ reception, in order to support the thesis of a fundamental proximity between some of their ideas.