Consummately antithesis of what Plato says would assist in being a good leader and what a leader should fixate on, Machiavelli verbalizes that there should be nothing on the prince's (leader) mind other than mastering the art of war. A leader should fixate on the mechanics of war. Study it at all times. Know your opponent. War, to Machiavelli, is described as an art which needed the full attention of the designer. The only way to be head of the state and to win is to know this art. Have it thoroughly mastered not just mentally but also physically. Furthermore, prepare your mind, body, and soul. Learn how to be outdoors and the type of toll it would take on one’s body so you will not fall week during the real thing. Build one’s mind up to be vigorous and to be able to stand any additional mental strain and stress that may come during the genuine event of a war so that one could not be broken. Study how your opposing party handles their battles and their aspects of war. Learn and…
One very important contribution Ancient Greeks had on Western culture was Democracy.The meaning of democracy in greek is "People rule" which means that the people could actually overthrow someone in higher power. Two good examples of this is the Hippocratic oath, "I will follow that which, according to my ability and judgment, I will consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is harmful," and famous speech given by the leader of Pericles given to his Athenians in about 430 B.C.E "Our plan of government favor the manu instead of the few; that is why it is called a democracy... While every citizen has an equal opportunity to serve the public, we reward our most distinguished citizens by asking them to make our political decisions...A man may serve his country no matter how low his position on the social scare."…
The founding father of Philosophy was known as Socrates, he was born on 469 BCE and was later executed on 399 BCE while Athens was dealing with the Peloponnesian war against Sparta (Ancient). The decision to execute Socrates during the war may had been the fragile state that Athens was dealing with while in war. If there wasn’t a war the outcome of his death could had been a different.…
The adventures continue. In the beginning of this book, Odysseus returns to Aeaea and buries his friend, Elpenor, like he so persistently requested. He also returns in order to spend one last night with his sporadic lover, Circe. Throughout his visit, she informs him of the difficult challenges coming his way in his trip back home as well as how to paramount them. Setting sail, he shares her advice with his crewmates. Arriving at the home of the Sirens, flying creatures whose sweet songs would tantalize sailors onto rocks, Odysseus plugs everyone’s ears with beeswax as they bind him to the ship. This is exactly how Circe recommend their approach to be. While they sing their songs about how they can reveal the future, under their influence,…
Pericles makes a very significant statement when he says, “Our form of government does not enter into rivalry with the institutions of others.” Pericles as evidenced by this statement wants to let other nations know that the way Athens is governing, does not disturb the way other nations rule, nor does it try to challenge other system/forms of government. The key word he uses in this phrase is rivalry, which he uses to emphasize the fact that there is no competition or race whatsoever of governing ways amongst other nations. Pericles feels like the way Athens is ruling does not clash with others. In other to justify his claim, he states, “Our government does not copy our neighbors’, but is an example to them.” Pericles is using that statement to console the audience present, letting them know that the fighters who perished, died in a winning cause, but at the same time, he affirms that Athens, is the best because it is being an “example” to other nations, rather than copying them.…
Part of Pericles’ plan for Athens was to increase the number of public officials with paid salaries and use direct democracy. Pericles plan for democracy was also for the poor to not be discriminated for social rankings. He also wanted the citizens to serve his country at any position on the social scale but you have to be a defined citizen. Pericles once stated “…power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people”. Athens went through a period of time of power struggles between the rich and poor. Today there are many countries that use democracy as a form of government.…
According to Plato, leadership is not just a power or decision-making authority; it is the system and process developed to establish the culture and how things are done in an organization or government. The nature of leadership should be driven by what is right and what is just. Plato believed that a monarch who served the best interest of the citizens was preferred to direct democracies that act to serve their own personal interest. According to Plato, leaders should serve the good of the people and not the good of the rulers or themselves. Plato felt that good leaders could only be men wise in years with education and experience. A person leads based on their knowledge,…
Along with their personal traits, Athens had freedom. This freedom involved the individual more than the city and this made their imperialism possible. This freedom will create en energy in the city but will lead to problems and decline for Athens. Athens will have troubles with factions and the internal conflicts that come with. Pericles will be able to prolong the problems for Athens. He was able to do this by appealing to the passion and love for glory and the need for ultimate devotion. These more individualistic people will be able to connect with something other than themselves with this passion. The connection is there because it tends to be egoistic and leads to a more intense devotion and increased willingness to sacrifice. When this…
“The most intriguing people you will encounter in this life are the people who had insights about you, that you didn't know about yourself” (Alder). This quote can be used to show why the great Greek philosopher, Socrates is deemed as being so intriguing. During his time, Socrates was seen as a great threat because he tended to break free from the normal way of thinking and inevitably, people became afraid of him. Socrates was eventually put to death on account of “corrupting the youth” and being an “atheist,” which were false claims against him to cover up the fact that his accusers simply didn’t like him or his ways. When reading Plato’s Republic, Socrates is shown as being very intriguing because of: his humble ways, his Socratic method,…
In the Gorgias1, Socrates says, “I think that I am the only or almost the only Athenian living who practices the true art of politics; I am the only politician of my time”, while in the Apology2, he claims that “he who will really fight for the right, if he would live even for a little while, must have a private station and not a public one.” As we know, Socrates did manage to live for over 70 years, and did indeed confine himself to a private stance; but how can one be a politician without being a public figure? Or was Socrates not a true champion of justice, as he maintained to be?…
First, Socrates is an outsider, so even though he preaches many philosophical ideas, he did not grow up with many of the teachings and stories that all Athenians grew up with, potentially causing a difference in their original values. Also, Socrates can be viewed as out of place in Athens because he is not like most other Athenian citizens –by constantly challenging others beliefs, he is attempting to bring the people of Athens out of place with him. Next, Athens is in a state of ruin, coming off a lost war with Sparta which caused the citizens to question many of their ideals and the stability of the state to become fragile. Socrates questioning the citizens on their ideals only adds to the fragility of the state, pushing it closer to a state of crisis. In the play Oresteia, Athena warns the Athenians to be weary of internal threats. During the Apology, Socrates is called and can be viewed as an internal threat, jeopardizing the safety of other Athenians and drawing on their fear to start an uprising against the government. Socrates also shows the virtue of arrogance in Plato’s piece, choosing his punishment to be free meals at the public’s expense which is more like a reward instead of choosing an actual punishment. By his arrogant actions, Socrates is actually harming wisdom because he refuses to listen to the views of other…
Leadership is not only in a school setting but other professions requiring one or two people to direct others in a beneficial path. Pursuing a degree in administration forced me to reflect on the characteristics I see best fit when leading staff in the correct direction. Leaders are not born overnight, but take time to grow and perfect. Leaders not only are driven to benefit themselves, but also have a force behind them for the benefit of the entire school.…
As a leader, it is important to be able to see when there are issues but also it is important as a leader to be able to handle issues or problems in a way that is democratic. A successful leader is one who is able to lead their employees but also has the respect and trust of his or her staff. All organizations go through changes and challenges and that is when strong leadership steps in and tries to carry the organization and prepare the organization for these challenges.…
leadership in an attempt to create empires and rule almost always at the expense of the people…
I believe that the world’s nations are in quite similar situation that the one Athens was in Socrates’s times. That is, that “skepticism and success” were the norm in those days. The Sophist stated, “All values and standards are relative,” and one of the main questions that you should ask yourself is, “Will performing this action be advantageous to me?” These are the criterion the many individuals, including presidents, follow these days. As a result, we have extremely corrupt individuals as presidents all over the globe. Having stated this point, now let’s analyze in general, what is a good president on Socrates’s norms?…