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Compare And Contrast How Machiavelli And Lao Tzu's View Of Government

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What’s the Best Way to Rule the People?

(An analysis of the differing views of government between Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu)

Machiavelli and Lao-tzu both ruled over a group of people at one time or another and they both had extremely different views of government and on how to rule their groups as well. Machiavelli was a man that ruled during the Renaissance in Italy while Lao-tzu ruled in China. The word government is defined as the governing body of a nation, state or community. Machiavelli was an aristocrat that lived from 1469 to 1527. He also wrote The Qualities of the Prince in 1513 and he talks about what a prince needs to do to be liked and successful. Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching is the thoughts of the Tao-te Ching that were written down by Lao-tzu before he went into self-imposed exile. Three of the many differing views are that …show more content…

Machiavelli also thinks that being in war all the time is the best way for anyone to live. From an essay written about how Machiavelli governed, “‘A prince must have no other objective or other thought or take anything for his craft, except war.’ Nothing can be gained, or kept, or increased, without a fight.” (Valiunas, Algis. "Hard Guy Discourse." GoWyld. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016). Michael Ledeen wrote a book and talked a lot about the way Machiavelli talked and he says, "Machiavelli expands the earlier paradox: just as the quest for peace at any price invites war and, worse than war, defeat and domination, so good acts sometimes advance the triumph of evil, as there are circumstances when only doing evil ensures the victory of a good cause." (Valiunas, Algis. "Hard Guy Discourse." GoWyld. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016). Lao-tzu thinks that if he lets go of things that make life more confusing and complicated, it will make them more honest, prosperous, and

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Despite the fact that most of Machiavelli and Lao Tzu’s ideas on how the government ought to work greatly differ, there are some ideas that they both agree upon; one of which, is their idea regarding economics, these ideas can be integrated to form an effective government. Their ideas regarding economics are congenial with each other due to the fact that they are comparable in their ideas of taxes. Economics play a key role in forming an effective government. An effective government must be able to sustain itself without imposing excessive tax on the people. The government must be able to work effectively with the minimum amount of funds.

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910 Words | 4 Pages

President Obama echo a leadership of both Niccolo Machiavelli "The Qualities of the Prince" and Martin Luther King Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Machiavelli point of view to become a successful prince was that you must lead your people. He talks about how a prince should appear to his people for authority. There are different types of principles such as war and is it better to be loved or feared.

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We find traces of his philosophy in modern politics by how people running for seats of power make many promises in their campaign and once the people elect them, they may fall short in accomplishing their promises. Where Machiavelli mentioned using cruelty, one can say this applied to the rise of Hitler’s reign by how he punished the Jew’s and other minorities all the while maintaining a merciful appearance for those who supported

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1386 Words | 6 Pages

Lao-Tzu’s writing is mainly based off the religion Taoism. This type of religion believes that the way of the universe is the natural way of life and that it shouldn’t be interfered with by man. Lao-Tzu believes that one shouldn’t have total control of the government, that everything should run its course as it is supposed to do not as the humans want to make it. He believes that the ruler should be carefree and should not rule forcefully but be kind and silent. That he should stay in the shadows

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2334 Words | 10 Pages

During the Warring States period, the government was very controlling of its people. The ruler in this period was the Qin, which was a harsh and authoritarian government. Between the harsh and strict rules and the heavy taxation of peasants by the Eunuchs, the people were very unhappy. This caused many revolutions. Lao-Tzu claims that a good leader is one who follows the Tao or is a “Master”.

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Machiavelli argues the perfect prince will be both feared and loved by his people, and if unable to be both he will make himself feared and not hated. Machiavelli believes it is much safer to be feared than to be loved because people are less likely to offend and stand up against strong characters, also people are less concerned in offending a prince who has made himself loved. Accordingly, Machiavelli believes generosity is harmful to your reputation and the choice between being generous or stingy, merciful or cruel, honest or deceitful, should only be important if it aids the prince in political power. All in all, Machiavelli believes the ruler must be a great deceiver and do what is essential to uphold power over the

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The first half of his life was spent in the Golden Age of Florence, the heyday of the Renaissance, and the second half in a period of war between France and Spain and other powers competing in Italy. 《 The prince》was written during the period of Machiavelli's dismissal from office, and he makes it clear that his purpose in writing the book was to offer it to the Florentine authorities for reappointment. In this book, he strives to demonstrate the political wisdom he has acquired through his long political practice, limiting his subject matter to the analysis of the monarchy, which is central to his discussion of how monarchs can retain their states. Machiavelli’s political ideology was shaped by his belief in the importance of power and the need for a strong, centralized government.

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When he spoke about those who came to power through wicked actions and gave the example of Agathocles, Machiavelli says that although Agathocles committed cruel actions in order to rule, he still demonstrated bravery and strength of character (29). Machiavelli says that “If you take control of a state, you should make a list of all the crimes you have to commit and do them all at once” (30). That way, you will not have to keep repeating your evil deeds, which will “reassure your subjects and win their support by treating them well” (31). Contrary to Plato, who believes that morality is a part of politics, Machiavelli believes that morality and politics are two separate things, and says that a ruler has to know when their duty is more important than their moral

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389 Words | 2 Pages

Although I do believe that Machiavelli's statements are true, I do not necessarily support them or the type of ruler they aim to create. Machiavelli's ideas aimed for realism rather than idealism; the goal was to give advice to leaders that would be relevant and take into account the ability of people to make both morally good and bad decisions. Though it is undeniable that some people will try to take advantage of others if given the chance, Machiavelli's ideas were made to succeed in a world where there is always someone present who is willing to undermine those who act virtuously. In my opinion, these statements assume that people are always at their worst, and thus should not be trusted. When it comes to maintaining control over

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397 Words | 2 Pages

I think Machiavelli’s belief that a ruler should only be concerned with power and success is wrong because if you are a leader of a country you should think about what’s good for the people of your country first over what’s good for you. In the renaissance period it seems the leaders was more worried about what was good for their own pockets than what is good for the people of their country. Most leaders during the renaissance era based their success on how many wars they won or how much money they could swindle out of the poor people in their country. I believe in order to be a true leader in the country today it is important to look at what is good and beneficial for the people and what will enrich your country and make it better for the

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950 Words | 4 Pages

Niccolò Machiavelli, better known as the father of modern political theory, wrote the famous socio-political treatise The Prince, during a dark time in his career. In The Prince, there are several policies that can be found in the American government, specifically in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Many of our American leaders have adopted similar policies as Machiavelli's book is recognized as a political manual for many leaders. Obviously, there are many common themes in The Prince and The United States government's policies, such as the idea of arming one's citizens along with how leaders are brought to power; however, there are also many differences, in particular, the distribution of power in government.

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954 Words | 4 Pages

One aspect of Machiavelli’s theory which significantly contributes to his reputation as the “philosopher of evil,” is his advice to the prince on keeping their word to the public. In chapter eighteen, Machiavelli states, “a wise ruler cannot, and should not, keep his word when doing so is to his disadvantage, and when the reasons that led him to promise to do so no longer apply” (pg. 37). To simplify, Machiavelli says princes are obligated to lie in certain circumstances. He also states that while it is unnecessary for the prince to have positive qualities, such as honesty, trustworthiness, sympathy, compassion, or be religious, it is essential for the prince to be viewed so by the public (pg. 37). While many people argue that Machiavelli’s legitimization of lying and deception in politics is immoral, I argue the opposite.

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1215 Words | 5 Pages

That is to let go and follow the Tao and do only what is absolutely needed so that the people can learn and make their own rules. Lao-Tzu believes that when a governing body complicates itself with laws and be involved in the livelihood of its people too much, it would have adverse effects. This is because their actions draw the people’s attention to disheartening conditions like crime, war, and poverty. Therefore, Lao-Tzu says the Master should leads with humility by understanding that they are no different from the ones they govern and act from below the people, as to not appear overbearing while being sensitive to the people’s interest. The people follow the Master because they do not feel constricted and feels free to choose their way (Verse

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1652 Words | 7 Pages

According to him, rulers should know their respective limits when it comes to the force and violence they inflict. Machiavelli believes that maximizing betrayal, deception and other cruel acts aren’t considered talents. Although these methods are effective in gaining empire, these don’t help in getting glory. Therefore, using violence and cruelty may be necessary but should have limits. The prince must know up to what extent his violence should be inflicted upon and he must do it all at once to avoid the hatred and resentment from his

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In the early sixteenth century there were two people that wrote about political power and the correct way to rule, both of these people would have great influence on their time period as well as future ones. Machiavelli was a secretary who worked for the Medicis, after the Medici family was expelled from the city he would reflect on what he thought of politics and how he thought they should be by writing The Prince, it would become a very famous book even in the present day. His viewpoint on ruling was that a ruler must do whatever they can in order to improve the state no matter what, or in his words “The ends justify the means”(The Prince). Erasmus was a Dutch intellectual and leader of the Christian humanists who wrote a treatise on political

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