Lao-tzu vs. Machiavelli Government is the essential authority of a country or state‚ which is directly‚ affects society because it provides key securities. Two of history’s greatest thinkers Lao-tzu‚ authors of the Tao-te Ching‚ and Niccolo Machiavelli‚ author of The Prince have similar but very contrasting ideas of government‚ and how people should be governed. Lao-tzu was born in the Chinese state of Ch’u. He spent most of his life working in the library of the Chou dynasty. Once he decided to
Premium Political philosophy Cesare Borgia Florence
Lao Tzu idea and concept of what makes a proper leader and how the government should work is extremely different than Niccolo Machiavelli. Lao Tzu’s view is the ruler believes that to gain respect and love from people‚ you should give them their freedom‚ don’t force rules on them or even act powerfully. But at the same time Machiavelli’s view of the good leader is that the prince should maintain his power by having a powerful and structured government and strong rules so he could have an overall
Premium Political philosophy Government The Prince
Option #2 D Hart Dr. King And Lao-Tzu King and Lao-Tzu both had the same views but different actions. Their views consisted of eagerly wanting the world to become a better place. They wanted equal rights and righteous leaders. Their believes did not consist of taking sides. To them what really mattered was to have everyone be equally content. Even though King and Lao-tzu did not ever meet‚ there is thought to be a possibility that Dr. King could have read Lao-tzu’s writting. Thus they both believed
Free Nonviolence Civil disobedience Leadership
In the World of Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli Even though Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli were both advisors there was still many differences of the two’s views on how a government should be. A leader is a person who leads or commands a group‚ organization‚ or a country. It does not matter what state‚ country‚ or city someone lives in they are guaranteed to have a leader. Leaders have been around in every era. If considered to be a leader‚ people wanted to be great and admired for what they had done or were
Premium Political philosophy Leadership Management
Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts and the world will govern itself.” These words were spoken by Lao-Tzu‚ a philosopher credited for writing the “Tao-te Ching” and the presumed founder of Taoism. In the Tao-te Ching‚ Lao-Tzu describes the qualities a political leader should acquire in order to become great leaders. Although some people imagine a great leader as being die-hard and commanding‚ Lao-Tzu believes that a great leader is actually one who doesn’t use force unless
Premium Leadership Management Laozi
relationship to literature‚ a number of pieces of can qualify. In particular‚ the idea of leadership is arguably one of the most written about topics with regard to comparing and contrasting. Throughout history‚ it can be argued that the majority of successful societies have been based upon effective divisions of leadership. Accordingly‚ in their pieces of literature‚ The Tao-te Ching and The Qualities of the Prince‚ Lao-tzu and Machiavelli have sought to convey a more complete and concrete understanding
Premium Leadership Political philosophy The Prince
Taoism originated in China around 500 b.c Taoist thought is based on the writings of Lao-Tzu in the poetic stanzas of the Tao Te Ching. Lau Tzu translates as the ’Old Man ’ or the ’Old Teacher ’. It is 5‚000 characters in length and comprises of two books. The Tao Te Ching is the second most printed book in the world next to the Bible. The Tao Te Ching represents Philosophical Taoism at its purest as it was to develop through the centuries into a more institutionalised religion and into branches
Premium Taoism Chinese philosophy Laozi
As time has progressed‚ small civilizations have popped up throughout the earth‚ creating many groups of people‚ in all regions of the world. Around 1000 BCE‚ the world consisted of many city-states who eventually combined into large empires. One such empire is what is currently known as China. Originally‚ this empire was ruled by the Great Sage Rulers. These emperors taught their people the secrets of agriculture and medicine. The entire empire prospered‚ however‚ as the need for resources increased
Premium United States Roman Empire Ancient Rome
Reading the works of Machiavelli and Lao-Tzu in succession highlight how truly at opposition the messages are. Though both pieces express the desired way to govern a people‚ the “Tao-te Ching” speaks of peace‚ simplicity‚ and letting the universe work its will‚ while “The Qualities of the Prince” emphasizes the necessity for war‚ and the natural wickedness of men. There are no particular reasons that these two ways of thought should be in harmony‚ one written in the 6th century‚ and the other the
Premium Political philosophy The Prince Ethics
philosophies of the great thinkers Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli‚ I have found a pleasant mix of both of their ideas would be the best for America today. Lao-Tzu’s laisse-faire attitude towards the economy‚ as well as his small scale military is appealing to my liberal side‚ while Machiavelli’s attitude towards miserliness which causes low taxes appeals to the right wing. These great thinkers contradict the popular saying "all great thinkers think alike." They have several ideas‚ such as taxes‚ that are the
Premium George H. W. Bush United States Political philosophy