Comparing Sight In Leonardo's Notebooks And The Prince

Sight is one of human’s most essential senses because it helps contribute to the way that people perceive things around them. Sight is used to view other people’s appearances, and is used to pass judgements about what they see. It is also used to experience the surrounding world. Seeing something allows for true understanding and knowledge. Through the reading of both The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli and Leonardo’s Notebooks by Leonardo Da Vinci, we are presented with the importance of sight. In The Prince, the perception of a leader is more essential than seeing what was actually true, and in Leonardo’s Notebooks sight is fundamental in the ability to completely understand the world.

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli highlights the importance

He believed that people do not fully grasp every aspect of the world until they see it for themselves. In his notebooks he says, “. . . but they do not know that my subjects require for their exposition experience rather than the words of others” (Leonardo’s Notebooks, pg 2). Rather than reading or hearing about other people’s experiences, sight allows for people to believe and experience the world with their own point of view. Perception differ with every eye that is viewing the object seen. Sam Jones during lecture told us that “realism is bound to our senses.” Accepting a situation or a reality begins with sight. Without sight, comprehending most surroundings would be a difficult task. Vision allows for a flow of knowledge that doesn’t occur through reading or second-hand participation. As stated by Leonardo Da Vinci, “There are three classes of people: those who see. Those who see when they are shown. Those who do not see” (Leonardo’s Notebooks, pg #). These three classes of people characterized by what they see elaborate on the main principle of Leonardo’s Notebooks. Those who see are able to experience the world through the lens of their own eyes, which allows for their own perception of reality to not be clouded by other people’s opinions. Those who are shown are able to acquire knowledge of things that they cannot really understand. Since everyone perceives things in various

Maintaining appearances is still happening with political leaders currently. In class, Sean Cox talked about an example with Barack Obama changing his physical attire to suit what the people wanted to see. He began to wear an American Flag pin with every outfit, because that is what Americans wanted to see. Leaders often take into account what society is saying about them to alter their platform to acquire the most voters. In politics today, people are voting for the attributes of the candidate, and less for the actual person or political ideas because politicians are not always transparent about who they really are. This reinforces the idea that Machiavelli put forth, that a leader does not need to actually have the values that he presents. Leonardo Da Vinci’s beliefs on sight are also still relevant, since reading about other people’s experiences are not as common as wanting to experience the world with their own