In the story of "The Prince" written by Niccole Machiavelli takes place in the sixteenth century, around the time when Italy was not a unified country. Rather, it was more of a collection of city-states, each with its own court and ruler, all aiming to gain power over one another. On top of the commotion from the toggle war of power between the city states, Italy became a battleground for the French, the Spanish, the Germans, and as well as the Catholic Church under the Popes. At the time the Popes had so much power, that they were practically equal to a secular king during that time period. Prior of when Italy became a battle ground the major Italian city-state, the republic of Florence, had established ties as an alliance with the French.
“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.
Bill’s moral responsibility in the case of the train is to switch the tracks towards Sarah causing her death and preventing the death of a hundred. This view is one like shared by utilitarians, who hope to produce the greatest amount of good. Though Bill will have to directly cause a death, allowing one hundred would be more than immoral. Utilitarianism gives us insight as to why Bill should prioritize the train, while deontology shines light on how Bill may feel after doing so. The threshold in this situation in contrast with feeling a sense of restraint, allows for us to see the weight of his actions in relation to deontology and utilitarianism.
Niccolo Machiavelli was an observer in all he did. When he was the administrator and diplomat for the Florentine Republic, he contributed by reporting his findings and methods in surveilling others. His ideas were formed by noting the behaviors of those who were successful, and seeing the faults in those who were not. With that, he formulated sophisticated notions which earned him great esteem. Subsequent to his downfall after the Medici family returned to power, Machiavelli continued to study various leaders to find which qualities and strategies maintained a prince’s success.
Niccolo Machiavelli While Machiavelli valued being compassionate, he knew in order to be a successful ruler one must not be afraid to strike fear into his subjects. Machiavelli seems to have many thoughts on how in order to be a successful ruler, one must rule through fear. In, The Prince, he talks about how in order to be a successful prince one must not be afraid to be cruel and rule through fear. While being a kind and compassionate ruler is something to be admired, it is not always the best way to rule. Machiavelli wrote, “A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and faithful.”
According to Machiavellian, concerning the secretaries of a prince, it is significant for a prince to be careful to select a servant because the servant represent a prince. The loyal servant will represent an image of a good prince, but disloyal will represent an image of incomplete prince. The servant must have less thinking about personal than the rules, if not, he can never be a good servant. Also a characteristic of Machiavellian will have scheming plan, and be cunning. Claudius had done terribly and graceless, which make him the archetypal as Machiavellian character.
Governing a group of people is difficult since there are two perspectives on how a ruler should act towards his subjects. One view is expressed in Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, where he shares his belief that a ruler should “take more care for the welfare of his people than for his own” (Allen, 438). Another view is enforced in Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, where he expresses his opinion that a ruler should be feared, not loved. When governing people, Niccolo Machiavelli’s view is more realistic and effective because it allows the ruler to maintain power over his subjects. However, Sir Thomas More’s view is more ethical since it allows the subjects to be served by their ruler and to develop loyalty towards their community and the ruler.
Renaissance means rebirth. The Renaissance was a time of renewal as well as of chaos in Europe since it was still recovering. More and more ideas of the ideal prince emerged, as there are many different city-states. One of the most noteworthy political philosophers of the sixteenth century was Niccólo Machiavelli whose book, The Prince, a political handbook for rulers, has brought him recognition. It can be seen that his ideas on politics and overall inspiration for the book mainly came from his views of the political problems that were taking place.
Being a prince is not as easy as it may seem. There are good and bad decisions a prince can make. Machiavelli has his own standards on how a prince should behave. According to Machiavelli, a prince could be considered a lion, a fox, or a wolf. The lion is fierce but doesn’t have the smarts, while a fox has the smarts but isn 't fierce.
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.
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.
He cannot be too generous, because that increases people 's expectations of him and it is impossible to keep buying the people 's love as the price gets too high. Yet, the prince should not be hated due to his violent nature, because that rises up. The prince should act in ways that keep him in power and maintain his own power. He should be able to read the character and motives of others in order to use them for his own ends.
Probably one of the most infamous and controversial ideologies of the 16th century, the prince by Machiavelli has been a reference for many great leaders and academicians since it was published. The book provides historically tested and proven principles of leadership. The prince has been described as a manual for those who want to win and retain power. While some may argue that leadership is an inherent trait in human, leaders are made, not born. Making a great leader out of a person is not just a matter of identifying the leadership traits, skill and talents of the individual, but harnessing the traits, develop them and eventually mastering how to be leader.
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.
Having an open mind is another characteristic people turn to when contemplating what an ideal person is. It shows that one is open to new ideas, suggestions and can see the opposing side of an argument. Appreciation is given to those with this trait because it is easier to reach agreements on important matters by both sides of the argument compromising. Machiavelli, on the other hand, prefers to be in control and tells people this in The Prince. Once again, he has a pessimistic outlook on what the optimal person is.
