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Machiavelli and the prince - analysis
Machiavelli and the prince - analysis
Machiavelli and the prince - analysis
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The Prince: A Decidedly unMedieval Piece of Work The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, was a secular handbook that dealt with modern statecraft and leadership. In fact, this was the first modern book that discussed political science. This book has influenced many well-known leaders, such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler. This essay will discuss the past behaviours of Machiavelli to prove that this book, The Prince, is a decidedly unMedieval piece of work which does not follow the idea of living life so that it is worthy of respect and honour, as stated in the Medieval Code of Chivalry.
In Niccolo Machiavelli's book, The Prince (1513), he evaluates on how a prince can be a successful leader. Machiavelli’s purpose of this guidebook was to construct his argument to the rising ruler Giuliano de Medici for when he comes to power in Florence. He adopts a casual but authoritative tone in order to convince the prince that Machiavelli’s evaluation on how to be the best prince, is the right thing for the prince to do without coming off as he knows more than the prince or is trying to intimidate him.. Machiavelli’s reference to previous rulers and whether their tactics failed or succeeded helps to benefit his credibility along with his allusion to historic text. He appeals to our logic by simply stating a prince can only do what is within his power to control, and his use of an analogy furthers his argument.
In the book, Machiavelli writes, “It is better to be feared than loved”. This statement reflects Machiavelli’s belief that rulers should be willing to do whatever is necessary to maintain power, even if it means using fear and violence to control their subjects. Machiavelli’s political ideology was a product of the historical and cultural context in which he lived. The Renaissance was a time of political and social upheaval, and Machiavelli’s philosophy of power and control was a response to the challenges of his
Machiavelli noticed this and offord to teach him how to lead correctly, writing what he called, The Prince. Machiavelli was a unknown genius at his time. He was supposedly falsely accused of his name being linked with a conspiracy to overthrow the Medici. He was imprisoned, tortured, and released to house arrest in the same day. To try and regain the trust of the Medici’s, Machiavelli wrote The Prince.
Niccolò Machiavelli wrote a book in the 16th century called, The Prince. In this book
Machiavelli also says that any time a person does anything that does not overtly benefit them there is an underlying reason that gives said person some sort of gain. This is a fair assumption to make because sometimes this is the truth, but we are not biologically hardwired to do this, it is not within our nature and therefore it cannot be a law. One might claim that, with the introduction of capitalism and society, some are able to overcome instinct to be more self beneficial while some are not, and this is true, but not all are able to do so in every circumstance, for instance not everyone would kill someone else for personal gain, only a select few would, and it proves that it is impossible to predict what any person or a population would do since some can overcome instinct but
The Prince, written by Machiavelli, is a candid outline of how he believes leaders gain and keep power. Machiavelli uses examples of past leaders to determine traits that are necessary to rule successfully. Leaders such as the King of Naples and the Duke of Milan lacked military power, made their subjects hate them, or did not know how to protect themselves from the elite, causing them to lose power. He says that these rulers should blame laziness, not luck, for their failures. By looking at these historical successes and failures, Machiavelli is able to develop his own thoughts on how politics and leaders should be in the future.
Prior to Machiavelli, most philosopher writers were concerned with creating an ideal world, and then applying that ideal world to matters that were currently occurring. Machiavelli did not agree with this method though. In chapter 15 of The Prince, Machiavelli says, “Neglecting to consider what is done because one is concentrating on what ought to be done is more likely to lead to ruin than preservation” (pg. 213). Unlike other philosophers that preceded him, Machiavelli is much more concerned with looking at the world as it is today, and seeing what is going right and wrong. Look at what is actually the case today instead of making up a fake world, and things will end up much better.
The best place to begin for this where he answered the question which is better to be loved or feared Love or Fear Which is to be better loved or feared? This question is an important one and Machiavelli answer for it is great. “One ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved” (Machiavelli 61). This leads to one of his core beliefs which is that, he believes humans are awful creatures and will seek out
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.
In Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, he maintains a harsh perspective on reality. His advice on how to maintain power leaves no room for compassion or generousity. While some may believe that these are qualities of a good person, Machiavelli believes these qualities lead to the downfall of rulers. He acknowledges that, in reality, it is impossible for someone to have qualities of a good person and simultaneously a good ruler. Machiavelli’s realistic outlook causes him to emphasize that it is better to maintain power through fear, rather than compassion.
There are several vital aspects to Machiavelli's regard he's one among the foremost important political theorists of his and our time, particularly looking back to the growth of realistic political approach. the primary factor one has to recognize so as to understand Machiavelli's thought is that he lived in turbulent political times at the start of the Renaissance time. He believes that the well-being of the state is that the responsibility of the ruler and will be achieved by any means possible, even by deceptions, treacheries, and intrigues. The ruler's personal morality is of way less importance than the goodness of the state because the ruler judged by the results of his reign instead of the means that he used.
What does it mean to be a Prince? According to Niccolo Machiavelli there is various qualities that are needed to be a Prince. In the chapter, “The Qualities of the Prince,” Machiavelli list qualities a Prince must uphold to be considered a good Prince. In order to be a Prince one must know how to protect his state and people. Some qualities that he mentions are: being feared rather than being loved, being hated, being cruel, being generous, and being deceitful.
I. Machiavelli In his famous work the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli exposes what it takes to be a good prince and how only this good price and keep control over his state. There are many different qualities that make a man a good ruler but there are some that are more essential than others. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virtù and vices. Without these attributes there was no way that a prince could hold together their state and their people.
Niccolò Machiavelli, Baldassare Castiglione and George Washington all had small factors of similarity within their interpretation of an ideal person, some more than others. Machiavelli valued the unpleasant truth, so that people would view the world with a notion of realism. He also always wanted to be in control and make his own decisions without anyone else's opinion to mar his idea of keeping authority with others. And he furthermore pushed the trait of fake sincerity. Instead of truthfully being honest, religious and merciful, he told one that you should fake it, so that when the time arrives, you can switch your personality.
