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The life of Machiavelli the done
Relevance of Niccolo Machiavelli political ideas in political states
The life of Machiavelli the done
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“Although one should not reason about Moses, as he was a mere executor of things that had been ordered for him by God, nonetheless he should be admired if only for that grace which made him so deserving of speaking with God” (22). In the context of The Prince, this statement proves to be duplicitous because Machiavelli claims that he will not reason about Moses, but then uses the following pages to do precisely that. Furthermore, Machiavelli draws extensively from the actions of Moses and the Old Testament God, although Machiavelli is often regarded as an antagonist of the Church. Machiavelli’s handbook for princes consists of concrete advice for rulers that directly reflect the more abstracted stories in Exodus. For instance, Machiavelli’s description of human nature in The Prince mirrors Moses’ experiences as the leader of the Israelites in Exodus.
He illustrates his argument with a metaphor placing princes on the mountain peaks and himself in adjacent valleys: “those who draw maps of countries put themselves low down on the plain to observe the natures of mountains and of places high above, and to observe that of low places put themselves high up on mountain tops” (10). He infers that in public affairs, perception
Then as an attempt to regain a political post and my family’s good favour, Machiavelli wrote The Prince, which was inspired by the shrewd and cunning Cesare Borgia in 1532! Which helped to fuel his fame up to this day! The notorious book espoused his views that strong rulers should be harsh with their subjects and enemies, and that any action with no moral views is okay to do so if the leader thinks it is so. ‘The prince’ was manly for advice to me- Lorenzo De Medici .He wrote that fear and deception were the best ways to allow better political control and for any rulers to remain in power.
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.
The Prince is based around the need for bold, prompt plans, the need of action, and the handling of politics as a science, full of rules and conditions. Machiavelli explains that “a prince must be both human and beast, and as beast he must be both lion and fox. He must embrace the flaws of humanity; he must rely on both thought and action; he must look to the past as he heads toward the future.” I enjoyed how Machiavelli simplified things in order to better understand them. There were two quotes that I rather enjoyed, Machiavelli wrote, “Then virtue boldly shall engage/And swiftly vanquish barbarous rage/Proving that ancient and heroic pride/
“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind” -Mahatma Gandhi. Machiavelli’s Prince shows that a leader should be aggressive and feared, but Mahatma Gandhi believed it was better to be peaceful and loved. Non-religious, unforgiving and impassive are just a few words that describe the Prince. He also sees no reason to keep his word and values image over substance. Even though Gandhi and Machiavelli’s Prince are both wise leaders, they are extremely different because of their religious beliefs, violent/non-violent tendencies, and value of the truth.
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.
When Nicolo Machiavelli completed his book The Prince in 1513, he most likely was not expecting it to become one of the most controversial texts in literature. The book, roughly eighty pages thick, was not an entirely imposing volume. Yet it found success, and by the 1580’s it was being read by the various Kings and courtiers of Europe. Heavily criticized for their unethical ideas, Machiavelli his book do have their supporters, although not all of them believe in the teachings of The Prince. The book raises serious moral questions, and the innocence of Machiavelli is also up for debate.
The only way that a hereditary prince would be hated is if he is not a good prince or does not rule in favor of the people. Chapter three is about mixed principalities. New territories face difficulties because they are expected to be better than
Machiavelli's The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince is a classic. Talking about the ideal ruler, this book is considered by many as a must read for politicians everywhere. In The Prince, Machiavelli describes the ideal prince as one who; is of the correct heritage, should allow states under them to reside under their own laws, and should, though both be good qualities, be feared rather than loved. Although these are far from all of his points, these are three of much importance. Machiavelli begins by speaking of heritage of the ideal prince.
Everyone knows Machiavelli, or at least everyone is familiar with his ideas, even if they have not read his work. This is because the ideas of Machiavelli are pervasive and entrenched in our society, one only needs to look at the way our government works to see this. In The Prince Machiavelli presents his readers a cynical view of the true nature of man, recognizing that humans are not ruled by selflessness – which philosophers such as Aristotle hoped for -- but rather by the immoral nature of self-interest. The Prince is basically a guide on how to achieve stability and run a principality.
According to Machiavelli, a prince who keeps his promises is generally praised. But history demonstrates that most success is achieved when princes are crafty, tricky and able to deceive others. A prince can fight or succeed by using law or by using force. The use of law comes naturally to men and the use of force comes naturally to beasts. Hence, to achieve success, the prince must learn to fight with a balance between both law and force.
Machiavelli has the most correct ideas on both controlling the people as a ruler and on being remembered as a great one. These two viewpoints had great influence during their time and for centuries to come, both with modern ideas and correct ideas even though they had a lot of contrast. Machiavelli’s The Prince may be thought of the more recognizable of the two in the present, but people in the present day have many of the same ideas that
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.
In his novel, the prince, nicolo machiavelli guides us to be a fruitful ruler. He clarifies the best routes for any ruler or sovereign to govern a region, bring prosper to the society, and keep up their position. This book can be read by anyone to get a few pointers on political issues. Most of the thoughts held by machivelli were linked to mercilessness and evil, hence they raised a considerable number of eyebrows. He maintains that the ruler 's primary goal should be conquering, staying in control of the general public and to always have the idea of war in mind.
