Machiavelli's Concepts on Leadership, Religion, and Military Are Much More Realistic Compared to Thomas more's Ideas
Sanchez, Betsy
AP Euro Period 4
101914
Machiavelli’s Concepts on Leadership, Religion, and Military are Much More
Realistic Compared to Thomas More’s Ideas Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas More have different views on human society and their particulars. Thomas More attempts to change man’s thinking by creating an ideological society in his work, Utopia, while in The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli attempts to teach man how to deal with human nature. This exemplifies that Machiavelli’s concept is much more realistic than
More’s; therefore Machiavelli better represents concepts of human characteristics such as leadership, religion, and military.
In Thomas More’s Utopia, Utopia is a description of the ideal human society that demonstrates that human nature cannot be selfish to create a Utopia and is neither good nor evil, but develops according to the society that the person is raised in. The Utopian society highlights the unwritten laws of morality that humans possess if they are raised in a society that promotes honesty and virtue. In this ideally principled community, a government with few laws would function smoothly. More depicts a virtuous leader, and although he is a prince, is not held in a godly light as many other society’s rulers are. All of Utopia’s leaders, “live easily together, for none of the magistrates are either insolent or cruel to all people: they affect rather to be called fathers, and in being so, they well deserve the name.” (More 61). The prince himself has no distinction, either of the garments, or of a crown; but is only distinguished by a sheaf of corn carried before him. In a theoretical ideal society, such as Utopia, having a prince on nearly the same level with his subjects gains him a loving admiration
AP Euro Period 4
101914
Machiavelli’s Concepts on Leadership, Religion, and Military are Much More
Realistic Compared to Thomas More’s Ideas Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas More have different views on human society and their particulars. Thomas More attempts to change man’s thinking by creating an ideological society in his work, Utopia, while in The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli attempts to teach man how to deal with human nature. This exemplifies that Machiavelli’s concept is much more realistic than
More’s; therefore Machiavelli better represents concepts of human characteristics such as leadership, religion, and military.
In Thomas More’s Utopia, Utopia is a description of the ideal human society that demonstrates that human nature cannot be selfish to create a Utopia and is neither good nor evil, but develops according to the society that the person is raised in. The Utopian society highlights the unwritten laws of morality that humans possess if they are raised in a society that promotes honesty and virtue. In this ideally principled community, a government with few laws would function smoothly. More depicts a virtuous leader, and although he is a prince, is not held in a godly light as many other society’s rulers are. All of Utopia’s leaders, “live easily together, for none of the magistrates are either insolent or cruel to all people: they affect rather to be called fathers, and in being so, they well deserve the name.” (More 61). The prince himself has no distinction, either of the garments, or of a crown; but is only distinguished by a sheaf of corn carried before him. In a theoretical ideal society, such as Utopia, having a prince on nearly the same level with his subjects gains him a loving admiration