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Pico Della Mirandola Vs Machiavelli Essay

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The views on humanity and human nature of Pico della Mirandola and Machiavelli had both similarities and differences. Pico della Mirandola developed over 900 theses that the pope declared heretical, and as an introduction to these theses, he wrote On the Dignity of Man, where he shares his views on humanity regarding God and the first man. Mirandola begins by stating all the magnificent things that God had created, and the complications of creating man. God then created man, “a creature of undetermined nature, and [placed] him in the middle of the universe.” God then tells Adam “that [he] may have and possess ... whatever place, whatever form, and whatever functions [he] shall desire” and that “[he] who [is] confined by no limits, shall determine for [himself] [his] own nature, in accordance with [his] own free will.” Mirandola believed that we shouldn’t focus on the connection with God that we have lost, yet focus on …show more content…

Machiavelli believes that an effective and successful ruler, must “learn how not to be good” but it is of necessity to appear to have possess qualities of mercy, truth, humanity, integrity and religion. Although to actually possess these qualities is “dangerous,” a ruler must “be able to do evil if constrained” to preserve the state. Machiavelli believed it to be “more proper to go to the real truth of the matter than to its imagination” because we can’t hide the fact that we sinned originally from our reality. He believed we must fully admit the wrongdoings of the past and accept that humanity naturally sins, and with that knowledge we can learn and change. It is pointless to imagine a flawless, idealistic world that never existed because it won’t help us understand the world as it is. He believed that “how [humans] live is so far removed from how we ought to live,” and that does not help us learn and

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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.

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The main point made by Machiavelli was that men are inherently bad, so a leader must rule in a way that takes this into account. He taught that because of man’s ungratefulness, it is safer to be feared than loved (D-4). This shows that Machiavelli believed that the power and success of a country will lead to the prosperity of its inhabitants. Both influential people believed that a country prospers the most under absolute power.

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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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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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Machiavelli and More represent the polarization between a realist and a moralist on political, economic, and social problems. Tinkler is a professor of Renaissance English Literature and Rhetoric at Townson University. Tinkler’s primary sources are Utopia, The Prince, Cicero’s writings on rhetoric, Quintilian’s writings on rhetoric, Machiavelli’s Discourses, and a letter Erasmus wrote about More. He uses his primary sources to explain the art of rhetoric and to illustrate the different styles of rhetoric. His secondary studies are various studies on rhetoric in Utopia and The Prince and other studies that explore Utopia and The Prince.

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Machiavelli makes the argument that if you can be feared and loved than perfect, but if you had to choose a greater good than it would be to be feared. His reason being is that love sustains power up to the point when mans wicked heart finds an opportunity to exploit their Prince. However, fear holds virtuous men back for fear of punishment. This method is not quite useful in a democratic nation, but in Machiavelli’s world this was effective.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

What is Machiavelli's overview of human nature in general and why is it so? Machiavelli has a very dark view of human nature and the reason being is because he lost his public service position when the Medicis came back to power and never regained said position. Why did Machiavelli write The Prince? Machiavelli dedicated The Prince to the Medici's [Lorenzo de' Medici to be exact] to obtain the good graces of the Medici's Why does Machiavelli believe that having ministers is better than having nobles/barons?

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669 Words | 3 Pages

Machiavelli was not looking for princes to become cruel, militant tyrants, but rather wanted effectiveness to unite a kingdom and to unite the people. Through Francesco Sforza, Cesare Borgia, and even Pope Julius II, the author is stating the unspoken truth, supporting it with the figures he derived inspiration, those who used underhanded methods when needed to hold reigns on their power, that "for a man who strives after goodness in all his acts is sure to come to ruin, since there are so many men who are not good. Hence it is necessary that a prince who is interested in his survival learn to be other than good, making use of his capacity or refraining from it according to need" (Machiavelli

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Though the span of human history is short in comparison to the world, it is yet rich and expansive and, as social creatures, the questions surrounding our sociological interactions are in a constant flux of questioning and answering. Numerous cultures and multiple leaders, religions, ideologies and philosophies span across the globe from a time long before the written word was invented through the past (approximately) six thousand years of recorded human history. As in nearly all social structure, leaders are necessary for the survival of the group: security, direction, and order. The eclectic and varying opinions, ideas, and experiences of multiple individuals from multiple societies results throughout history in extremely different and often

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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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469 Words | 2 Pages

Machiavelli states rulers should gain and maintain power by whatever means possible, even brutality and manipulation. Machiavelli also believed that commoners were only loyal to their leaders when their needs were met. He thought manipulation should be used to convince the commoners that their needs and interest were met. Overall, Machiavelli viewed the commoners as an essential source of power for leaders, felt they were somewhat challenging to control, and must be carefully governed to gain stability in the state and avoid insurrection (Machiavelli, 1532/2003).

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

Dishonesty is extremely prominent in Nicolo Machiavelli’s teachings and in Adolf Hitler’s doings. Hitler made promises to the German people knowing he could not keep them. Hitler has once stated, “It is not truth that matters, but victory” along with “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.” This follows Machiavelli’s teaching to elaborate on the truth for the good of the state. Also, in The Prince he says in order to be an ideal leader one should appeal to the people by appearing to have desirable qualities that one does not necessarily have.

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1519 Words | 7 Pages

As for a comparison between the two texts of all that were given, we could take a look at the text Renaissance Humanist Values and the difference between Machiavelli’s ideologies to that of Pico Della Mirandola 's Oration on the Dignity of Man. According to Machiavelli, human nature is

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1161 Words | 5 Pages

The specific question Machiavelli raises is thus: “whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved” (Blackboard p. 1). The conclusion to which Machiavelli arrives is one best understood through examination of his own personal experience and sociopolitical context, as the statesman concludes that, “it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with” (Blackboard p. 1), and further goes on a diatribe against mankind, calling them, “ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous” (Blackboard p. 1). Machiavelli’s language here reflects an opinion formed in the politically unstable context of his contemporary Italian city-states, in which a prince’s best protection against the machinations of others was their fearing him. Machiavelli’s statement regarding the nature of man is significant to his political ideology, as the author later goes on not only to undermine the security of friendships secured by financial reward, but also to regard those secured by love itself, saying that, “love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which

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1081 Words | 5 Pages

In his work, Machiavelli asked the now famous question of "whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with" (Machiavelli 409). He proposed in his writing that if all men were good, there would be no need for these tactics, but since this is not the case, violence and fear is a necessary evil. This comes back to the main synopsis of Machiavelli 's work that is the ends justify the means. A ruler may want to be favorable among his subjects and be considered a good ruler, but at maintaining power and peace in the kingdom is top priority.

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