...In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli outlines the specific paths that any new or aspiring prince must take in order to be a successful juxtaposition leader. Since he naturally provides numerous historical examples for both successful and unsuccessful approaches, their is perhaps the most effective rhetorical strategy on display in this text. As such, it is only logical that we examine the most successful example of a prince, that being Ferdinand of Aragon, so as to illuminate Machiavelli’s argument in greater detail. The most striking element of Ferdinand’s success seems to be the successful management of time. That is, Ferdinand seems to appreciate the role that management of time plays in general distraction, and in quelling any potential...
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...Making Machiavelli Modern, Dr. Michael Cunningham of Lewis University asserts: “Today The Prince (1532) is read as a clear-eyed if not cynical instruction manual to leadership, an exercise in realpolitik. It’s a treasure trove of advice for the new prince who must gain, consolidate, and use this power for constructive purposes as defined by the benevolent dictator.” Dr. Cunningham is essentially stating that Machiavelli’s writings are used as a manual in ruthless politics, that teaches the politician how to gain power, and how to retain power in the same way a dictator would, absolutely terrifying. The Prince, was perhaps Machiavelli’s most famous works, and in the book he expressed some of his political ideology, which mainly circled around the concept that individuals’ must triumph over their opponent by exploiting their weakness, and expressing ruthlessness by any means necessary, for the sake of power and control. What Dr. Cunningham Is also suggesting a his quote is that individuals like Frank Underwood references key focal points of Machiavelli’s teachings, and apply them to their own political philosophy, for of course, the purpose of advancing his power. Machiavelli recommends purposely lying to uphold the façade of the external world from politics, he believes it is better to tell lies, and deceive the general population so that they will continue to live in their bubble of false reality, and not question the ruthless authority. In one area that Machiavelli would disapprove...
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...Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (I3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. A founder of modern political science, he was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. Strauss (1958:11) notes that "even if we were forced to grant that Machiavelli was essentially a patriot or a scientist, we would not be forced to deny that he was a teacher of evil" He wrote his masterpiece, The Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence. Believing that people were motivated by self-interest, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513 as advice for the city of Florence, Italy. Machiavelli recommended that leaders use fear—but not hatred—to maintain control. Machiavelli’s best-known book, "The Principe," contains a number of maxims concerning politics, but rather than the more traditional subject of a hereditary prince, it concentrates on the possibility of a "new prince." To retain power, the hereditary prince must carefully maintain the socio-political institutions to which the people are accustomed; whereas a new prince has the more difficult task in ruling, since he must first stabilize his new-found power in order to build an enduring political structure. The Prince is...
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...Niccolò Machiavelli and Martin Luther: Shaping Modern Political Theory By: Andrew Plotnikov Hist 151-001 I pledge that I received no unauthorized assistance in the completion of this work _____________________________________ Martin Luther and Niccolò Macchiavelli were two European figures in the early sixteenth century who recognized crises of leadership and authority in Europe. Machiavelli and Martin Luther were arguably two of the greatest reformist minds of early 1500s, and their reactions to the crises of leadership present in their countries through their writings led to tremendous political and religious advancements; through their analyses of legitimate rule in The Prince (Machiavelli), and On Christian Freedom and Address to the Christian Nobility of the German Nation (Luther), Machiavelli essentially shaped modern political thought, and Luther sparked the Protestant Reformation that shocked Europe in the early 1500s. Though their responses were based on different groundwork, they each detected and sought to resolve their respective crises, and in doing so aligned their political theories. In analyzing the greatness of the two monumental European figures and their abilities to catalyze change in so many people, comparisons between the writings of both begin to emerge. In particular, Luther and Machiavelli shared innovative perspectives in their analyses on legitimate rule, and in doing so they revealed the pillars on which they built their cases: through...
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...Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian politician, historian, and author of The Prince, a novel written in 1513 about the rise to political power and maintaining political power. Through Machiavelli’s text we gain insight to politics during the Renaissance and learn Machiavelli’s thoughts on what makes a good leader. Even though the book was written in specific after Machiavelli had been tortured for a week as a prisoner after the fall of the Florentine Republic, we still use The Prince as a foundation for political theory as the book transcends historical moments. By comparing The Prince to Jacob Burckhardt, analyzing Machiavelli’s principles, and looking into Machiavelli’s notion of virtù we are able to better comprehend the Italian Renaissance and how an article written for a specific historical moment can still be used as a political foundation. Jacob Burckhardt was a historian of art and culture and the author of, “The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy,” which laid the foundation for our understanding of the renaissance. Now how does that play into the text, The Prince? Burckhardt brought to light two main concepts that play defining roles in what we understand of the renaissance. The first of these two concepts is individuality. Up until the 14th century, at the beginning of the Italian Renaissance, people didn’t view themselves as individuals and therefore didn’t identify in an individualistic light. Before the Renaissance people always identified as a part of something...
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...Neil Adams Professor Cara Chang Humanities 300 07 September 2012 Exploring The Major Themes of Machiavelli's "The Prince" To find out what motivated Machiavelli to write “The Prince”, it is necessary to look at the Italy that he lived in at the time and where he gained his insights into governance. He grew up in a time where Popes had their own armies and went to war with Italian city-states in hopes of gaining more territory. Power held by the rulers was tumultuous at best; people and cities might fall at any time. The Popes weren’t the only forces that major cities such as Venice and Florence had to deal with. Foreign countries such as France, Spain, the Catholic Church, and Switzerland also were engaged in battles for control and influence in the region. Most of these major cities relied heavily upon mercenaries to help fight their battles. These Condottieri, or mercenary leaders, were very fickle and changed sides without warning which made political and military alliances very weak, which in turn made Italy as a whole weak ("Niccolò Machiavelli"). Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, was a founder of modern political science who lived in Florence during the Renaissance period. He was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. Niccolò was the first son and third child of attorney, Bernardo di Niccolò Machiavelli, and his wife, Bartolomea di Stefano Nelli. At a young age became a pupil of a renowned Latin teacher, Paolo da Ronciglione, where he was taught history...
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...behind closed doors, far from the prying eyes and ears of the news media or the public. But this has not always been the case. The Prince was one of the first humanist works of the Renaissance. Indeed it is a work of art, a literary masterpiece of sorts. Yet this work has been vehemently debated over the centuries and remains one of the most controversial pieces of writing today. (Nederman) Niccolò Machiavelli was brave enough to give the leaders of his day a how-to guide. In this work, The Qualities of a Prince, we are given a point-by-point description of what a leader should do to effectively lead his country. Machiavelli’s philosophy is basically to become a good leader you must do anything even it is immoral and wrong. He first writes that a prince’s duty concerning military matter must always think of war only, even in times of peace. They must know their surroundings exactly so they can defend and make effective strategies to counter the enemy’s attack. They must also know historical battles so they will be able to learn their tactics and improve on it. (Jacobus) Machiavelli explains that, because leadership is obviously a position of command, “war is the only profession which benefits one who commands.” (Jacobus) He goes on to say that, in order to ensure peace, a leader must always be ready for war. He cites a multitude of past, present and even fictitious examples of military leaders who lead peaceful countries. He was writing, however, for the leaders of a heavily...
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...The first word that came into mind when reading The Prince for the first time was: pragmatic. Machiavelli drafted this book as a pragmatic guide to princes, unlike many of his contemporaries who else focused on telling princes to be nice, courteous, and good to the eyes of their people and God. What interested me the most was researching the book online after reading the first few chapters; what came up were multiple articles on how, at the time of its initial publication, the book gained a notoriety as being a guide on cruelty and manipulative intent. The Prince, being such an influential work by Machiavelli it’s considered his defining piece that brought forth the foundations of the label, “Machiavellian,” with it being associated to evil deeds and the immoral use of power as a means of political gain. Yet after all this research, evil was never a word that came to mind when I read the book. Pragmatic, that’s what it plainly is. What The Prince states is outside of morality, outside of being good or bad. Morality is put aside, it’s an ideal that has little effect to Machiavelli’s point. The main point is practicality, what princes must do in specific situations to maintain their power; and this practicality may come off as extreme or devoid of good morals, but when it comes to princedoms a prince’s main goal is to stay a prince, and The Prince provides a realistic, practical, pragmatic guide to do as such. Below are the five lines that I have chosen and how they reflect what...
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...THE SUPERIOR FORM OF GOVERNANCE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE VIEWS OF NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI AND LAO TZU Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science College of Arts and Sciences San Sebastian College- Recoletos, Manila August 2013 Vincent Roland R. Managuelod Ray Joshua B. Valdez INTRODUCTION In Politics there are many schools of thought that form the basis for the policies used in the operation of the government. These schools of thought vary greatly in purpose and belief, with many of these schools actively opposing one another. Ultimately, whatever beliefs these schools of thought may hold, and whatever actions these beliefs may lead them and the state their purpose is to shape the state into what they believe is ideal and beneficial for all. Of the many ideologies which are followed by statesmen, varied they may be, the ultimate goal is to create a society according to their ideals. In this study we will be discussing two thinkers whose schools of thought have had a significant impact on political philosophy today. The first is Niccolo Machiavelli. A philosopher, politician, diplomat and historian whose works have made his name a by-word for pragmatism and ruthlessness not just in politics but in everyday life. His most famous work, the Prince, advocated the separation of personal morals to that of one’s political morals, and the emphasis not on ideology but on what would be the most beneficial...
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...The subject matter: new princedoms (chapters 1 and 2) The Prince starts by describing the subject matter it will handle. In the first sentence Machiavelli uses the word "state" (Italian stato which could also mean "status") in order to neutrally cover "all forms of organization of supreme political power, whether republican or princely". The way in which the word state came to acquire this modern type of meaning during the Renaissance has been the subject of many academic discussions, with this sentence and similar ones in the works of Machiavelli being considered particularly important. Machiavelli said that The Prince would be about princedoms, mentioning that he has written about republics elsewhere (possibly referring to the Discourses on Livy although this is debated), but in fact he mixes discussion of republics into this in many places, effectively treating republics as a type of princedom also, and one with many strengths. More importantly, and less traditionally, he distinguishes new princedoms from hereditary established princedoms. He deals with hereditary princedoms quickly in Chapter 2, saying that they are much easier to rule. For such a prince, "unless extraordinary vices cause him to be hated, it is reasonable to expect that his subjects will be naturally well disposed towards him". Gilbert (1938:19–23), comparing to traditional presentations of advice for princes, stated that the novelty in chapters 1 and 2 is the "deliberate purpose of dealing with a new ruler...
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...dealt with the conflict between the main character’s intelligence and the (lack of) respect it provided in his life, one must also consider the internal struggle between good and evil in this person, or the development from a slave to a master morality that White undertakes. When we first come across Walther White, he is the embodiment of Nietzsche’s slave morality: a kind, humble and likeable high school teacher. It is only through his intelligence, the he manages to break himself free from this so-called slave morality and turn it into a master morality, with character traits such as pride and strength. However, in order to accomplish such a feature, Walter White develops an almost Machiavellian approach to his business ventures and a ruthlessness that allows him to fight for and consolidate his position. A comment on his transformation is seen in the poem found by Hank in his brother in law’s bathroom as he reads Gale’s poetry book and comes across Whitman’s “When I heard the learn’d astronomer”. A closer look at the poem and Gale’s reciting of it in 306, Sunset reveal a few verses with very a different meaning for Walter White and Gale: “When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me; When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them; When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;” (Source: Walt Whitman, When I heard the Learn’d Astronomer)...
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...The Art of Rulership: a Comparative Study of Han Fei Tzu and Niccolo Machiavelli’s Political Philosophy A Research Paper Presented to the Undergraduate Faculty of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies College of Arts and Sciences University of San Carlos In Partial Fulfillment of the Course Requirement in Legal Philosophy James Clyde Castillote Ranario October 2014 1. Introduction The history of mankind, passed through generations to generations in written and oral accounts, never failed to mention the rise and fall of great civilizations. In every epoch that mankind has gone through, a certain society or culture will always take an honor or disgrace in the center stage of history. This might be an honor credited for an achievement over a magnitude of victory, or a disgrace in a painful experience of defeat. From the earliest known Indian and Chinese civilizations in the East, to the powerful triumvirate of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations in the West, we can only say of two things — they all gloriously rose and proved to be kingdoms of undaunted power and might, but fall on their knees in bitter shame and demise. Although chronicles of our thousand-year-old history might not be that clear as to foretell the rise and fall of these great civilizations, however we all know that behind the stronghold of these empires, there commands a ruler, a great ruler — A leader that is responsible for meticulously planning the moves and conducts towards the rise...
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...Mencius is one of the most famous philosophers in Chinese history. He lived at a time when wars and conflicts in China were very common. Different kingdoms waged war against each other for the expansion of their own territory. Rebellion was also common as the subjects made attempts to topple their abusive and cruel ruler. In view of the importance of managing states and winning wars for expanding the territory of rulers, heads of states consulted known philosophers and intellectuals like Mencius whose wisdom proved to be vital in their rule. This essay seeks to discuss Mencius’ concept of ruler-ship and what to the mind of Mencius constitutes the best and most effective ruler. Initially, Mencius separates society into two classes of people. He thought that there are individuals who labor with their minds and there are those individuals who labor with their body. He thought that those who labor with their mind should be leaders or rulers. This emphasizes the need for rulers to be strong in intellect. This also emphasizes the need for an ordered society which is ruled by individuals who are mentally fit. While this can be considered as somewhat elitist, Mencius told that this is essential in achieving an ordered society. However, having a strong intellect is not enough to become an effective ruler. Mencius believed that virtue is essential for the successful ruler-ship. Virtue however, is not exclusive to the ruler. Mencius also believed in the inherent goodness...
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...Takshashila University, Chanakya managed the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta's rise to power at a young age. He is widely credited for having played an important role in the establishment of the Maurya Empire, which was the first empire in archaeologically recorded history to rule most of the Indian subcontinent. Chanakya served as the chief advisor to both Chandragupta and his son Bindusara. Chanakya is traditionally identified as Kautilya or Vishnu Gupta, who authored the ancient Indian political treatise called Arthasastra. As such, he is considered as the pioneer of the field of economics and political science in India, and his work is thought of as an important precursor to Classical Economics. Chanakya is often called the "Indian Machiavelli", although his works predate Machiavelli's by about 1,800 years. His works were lost near the end of the Gupta dynasty and not rediscovered until 1915. Chanakya’s Education Rishi Canak named his son as “Chanakya”. Being a teacher himself, he knew the importance of education. Taxila was one of the world centres for education. At a very early age little Chanakya started studying Vedas. The Vedas; considered to be the toughest scriptures to study were completely studied and memorized by Chanakya in his infancy. He was attracted to studies in politics. In politics Chanakya’s acumen and shrewdness was visible right from childhood. He was a student of politics right from child hood. Known as a masterful political strategist, He knew how to...
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...Pre-Socratic Period Thales of Miletus Background: Thales of Miletus (fl. c. 585 BC) is regarded as the father of philosophy. Thales of Miletus was considered one of the Seven Wise Men of ancient Greece. Thales was the first of the Greek natural philosophers and founder of the Ionian school of ancient Greek thinkers. Works/Writings/Philosophy: His is said to have measured the Egyptian pyramids and to have calculated the distance from shore of ships at sea using his knowledge of geometry. He also predicted an eclipse of the sun. In geometry Thales has been credited with the discovery of five theorems like the one that a triangle inscribed in a semicircle has a right angle. He tried to discover the substance from which everything in nature is made off and suggested water. Thales is important in bridging the worlds of myth and reason. He initiated the revolutionary notion that to understand the world one needed to know its nature and that there was an explanation for all phenomena in natural terms. That was a giant step from the assumptions of the old world that supernatural forces determined almost everything. While considering the effects of magnetism and static electricity, he concluded that the power to move other things without the mover itself changing was a characteristic of "life", so that a magnet and amber must therefore be alive in some way (in that they have animation or the power to act). If so, he argued, there is no difference between the living and the dead...
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