Machiavelli analyses the strengths and weaknesses of both auctorial governments and monarchal governments in his works The Prince and The Discourses. According to Machiavelli‚ governments‚ no matter what form they take‚ descend into corruption. Aristocracies become oligarchy’s‚ monarchies become tyrannous‚ etc. (Machiavelli‚ 111). Thus‚ Machiavelli states that the superlative governmental system is for all three forms of ‘good governments’ to be combined under one constitution. In this way‚ each
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controversial political science book of all time. Many think of Machiavelli as synonymous with evil. The father of the idea that the ends will always justify the means‚ the term Machiavellian has become connected with selfish‚ brutal‚ or immoral actions. Machiavelli has long been associated with totalitarianism‚ conquest‚ and tyranny. But is this label deserved? Is The Prince a book that expresses evil? Many argue that Machiavelli is not a teacher of evil‚ but bases his teachings on a pragmatic
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a document founded upon the ideas of pragmatism. To Machiavelli‚ the use of cruelty is not meant to be done for the sake of cruelty itself‚ but for the ideas of cruelty being well used. Its central doctrine is the idea that the ends justify the mean. Machiavelli’s dream is not for an unjust dictatorship‚ but for the glory of Italy. Cruelty well used has the greatest efficacy of not only a unified‚ but strong Italy. Machiavelli’s
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Machiavelli expressed in The Prince that he believed that a prince or ruler should be one that appeared to be very compassionate and caring towards others‚ one that others or the subjects could truly rely on and trust as well as one that is appears to be kind and righteous‚ however this should all be an illusion. He believed that princes should only appear to be this way so that the subjects or the public would be more submissive to his rule. He felt that the more respect that a prince gained would
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that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done‚ sooner effects his ruin than his preservation… Hence it is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong‚ and to make use of it or not according to necessity. (Machiavelli‚ 62) Machiavelli’s suggestion to rulers to sacrifice virtue to win and maintain states has brought his political treatise‚ The Prince‚ both attention and contention for the past five centuries. While condemned for the ruthlessness and cruelty
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reading Machiavelli’s The Prince and watching Shakespeare’s Henry V in class‚ one begins to notice similarities between the authors’ idea of what a “perfect king” should be. The patterns between the ideal ruler of Shakespeare and the ideal ruler of Machiavelli can be seen in numerous instances throughout this story. For the duration of this essay‚ I will compare the similarities in both pieces to give the reader a better understanding of how Shakespeare devised his view of what a “perfect king” should
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The Prince Guiding Questions 1. Why did Machiavelli write The Prince? Machiavelli wrote The Prince because he wanted Lorenzo de’ Medici‚ who was the current ruler‚ to be impressed by him and show him that he was intelligent and a useful advisor to him. Machiavelli also wrote it for Princes to read and comprehend how to be successful in power. 2. Name the three major themes of The Prince. (HINT: Look at the chapter titles) One of the major themes in The Prince was Statesmanship and Warcraft.
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The Prince In The Prince Machiavelli‚ an Italian Renaissance philosopher expressed his interpretation on how a government should be ran in order to make his city more powerful and vigorous. Machiavelli explained that in order for a city-state to run efficiently the prince needs to know how to regulate and command the town. Throughout the book Machiavelli brings up numerous standards that a prince should follow. Secularism‚ humanism‚ and independence are the most important principles that are in
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Many political philosophers agreed that there is a correlation between moral goodness and legitimate authority until Niccolo Machiavelli came along. He believed that there is no moral basis on which to judge the difference between legitimate and illegitimate uses of power and this is why he is one of the most controversial philosophers who ever placed pen to paper. Machiavelli was born on May 3‚ 1469 in Florence‚ Italy. He was brought up in a family of public servants and rapidly developed a strong
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a single ruler such as a prince or multiple rulers like philosophy kings. Machiavelli intended for a society/principality to be ruled a strong ruler whether he be just or unjust‚ moral or immoral; whereas Plato believed for a society to work a just ruler such as the philosopher kings along with its other social counterparts was the perfect society. This paper intends to show how a just ruler was not something Machiavelli saw as pertinent to a society’s survival whereas Plato deemed it to be at necessary
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