Machiavelli: The Prince
Debreka Young Pols 3310-Christina Hughes
10/22/13
Machiavelli: The Prince In The Prince, Machiavelli introduced a completely different idea of what is a stable government and his definition of what virtue is compared to previous philosophers such as Thucydides, Socrates, etc. Previous, classical philosophers associated virtue with the good in life. In their eyes, a virtuous man is an honorable man. In The Republic of Plato, Socrates defines virtue as doing something well and in The Prince Machiavelli defines virtue as your ability to do something. Both philosophers connect their definition with how a city must be run effectively; however, the way they associate virtue with their ideal city and how they define it is not the same.
In the philosophy of Socrates, his idea of the “Myth of Metals” he believes anyone who stays true to their metal and practices it exceptionally well, they become a virtuous man. The myth of metals, also known as the noble lie, is determined by the earth and contributed to the ideal state. Also related to Socrates idea of the myth of metals and the ideal state is the separation of classes within a state into three classes. Those three classes are the producers, the auxiliaries, and the guardians. The guardians are the philosophers who guide and administrate the city by producing laws and ideas. The auxiliaries are the ones who defend and protect the city by carrying out the laws created by the guardians. The producers are the more domestic workers of the city such as farmers, artisans, carpenters, etc. and they stay out of government affairs. Whatever metal that is given to you determines which class and group of citizens you fall in. These three classes of citizens keep the city running and in completion; therefore, any man who steps out of his metal or his class threatens to force a city into dishevel. “The result, then, is that more plentiful and better-quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for
10/22/13
Machiavelli: The Prince In The Prince, Machiavelli introduced a completely different idea of what is a stable government and his definition of what virtue is compared to previous philosophers such as Thucydides, Socrates, etc. Previous, classical philosophers associated virtue with the good in life. In their eyes, a virtuous man is an honorable man. In The Republic of Plato, Socrates defines virtue as doing something well and in The Prince Machiavelli defines virtue as your ability to do something. Both philosophers connect their definition with how a city must be run effectively; however, the way they associate virtue with their ideal city and how they define it is not the same.
In the philosophy of Socrates, his idea of the “Myth of Metals” he believes anyone who stays true to their metal and practices it exceptionally well, they become a virtuous man. The myth of metals, also known as the noble lie, is determined by the earth and contributed to the ideal state. Also related to Socrates idea of the myth of metals and the ideal state is the separation of classes within a state into three classes. Those three classes are the producers, the auxiliaries, and the guardians. The guardians are the philosophers who guide and administrate the city by producing laws and ideas. The auxiliaries are the ones who defend and protect the city by carrying out the laws created by the guardians. The producers are the more domestic workers of the city such as farmers, artisans, carpenters, etc. and they stay out of government affairs. Whatever metal that is given to you determines which class and group of citizens you fall in. These three classes of citizens keep the city running and in completion; therefore, any man who steps out of his metal or his class threatens to force a city into dishevel. “The result, then, is that more plentiful and better-quality goods are more easily produced if each person does one thing for