POLS 3310 Tu/Th 4-5:30 Final Paper Machiavelli in his book “The Prince” seems to sap the very foundations of morality and stops at nothing short of capsizing the entire edifice of religion. His thoughts resonate with a loathing of true virtue and propagate corrupted politics. Actually‚ today the term Machiavellianism is used to refer to the use of deceitfulness to advance one’s goals or desires. In ‘The Prince”‚ Machiavelli breaks from the classical view of virtue as represented by his philosophic
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"They used to say that a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don’t say that anymore." The sci-fi‚ thriller Gattaca was written and directed by Andrew Niccolin in 1997. The name‚ Gattaca‚ is composed of the letters used to label the nucleotide bases of DNA. Overall‚ the movie is about a genetically inferior man‚ or invalid‚ who buys the identity of a superior one‚ or valid‚ in order to pursue his life long dream of working at Gattaca and going into space. According to
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Machiavelli and Aristotle’s writings on man‚ The Prince and Nichomachean Ethics respectively‚ and the management thereof contain divergent ideas of how man should act and reason. They have a similar view of the end: greatness‚ but the means which the two philosophers describe are distinctly different. Machiavelli writes about man as mainly concerned with power and self-assertion‚ while Aristotle desires a society of individuals‚ of honorable men. An excess of the power seeking Machiavellians and
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In the passage from The Prince‚ Machiavelli discusses the idea of leaders coming into power through “popular favour”‚ where in order to maintain this‚ they must ensure that the people feel as though they are not oppressed. If one is starting their reign with the support of the public‚ this leaves them with the responsibility of keeping the people involved in their political decisions and maintain a democracy instead of a dictatorship . This comes into context through Machiavelli’s political background
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decision to engage a war in Iraq‚ but there might be greater reason why the decision was made. The ideas of George W. Bush might have been sculpted by one of the greatest works of all time‚ “The Prince.” “The Prince‚” written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1513‚ is a political treatise addressed to the Medici family of Florentine. “The Prince” was written to analyze and explain the acquisition‚ perpetuation‚ and use of political power in the west. Machiavelli’s theories in the work describe methods
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Ryan Bourque AP European Statistics 9-24-14 Mrs. Flemming Machiavelli: The Prince Machiavelli’s The Prince is a short treatise‚ written in 1513 and published in 1532‚ about how one should rule. Since its publication‚ The Prince has been surrounded by popularity and controversy. It is considered the first modern philosophical political work of literature‚ considering its message reflects certain modern ethical political themes. Widely circulated at the time‚ The Prince is about how princes‚ either
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distinctive views regarding human nature. Once this is assessed the picture that each man paints of their ideal ruler or founder becomes much clearer. Plato promotes the concept of philosopher-kings who rule over his imagined Utopian society‚ while Machiavelli endorses a ruthless and at times amoral prince whose primary objective is the preservation of the state. Plato’s view of human nature can be seen when considering his view of the soul‚ which‚ according to him‚ is comprised of three distinct
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Of the many disparities between Plato and Machiavelli‚ the distinction of virtue versus virtu sticks out like a sore thumb. Virtue was the political bases for Plato: All men should behave virtuously at all times. Whereas Machiavelli believed virtu was the basis for political prowess. What was best for the state as a whole was the main concern‚ and the ends always justified the means. Plato’s object was the creation of a utopian society--a civilization that abhorred war and centered itself upon
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Lao-tzu and Machiavelli are political philosophers writing in two different lands and two different times. Lao-tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher from 6th century BC‚ the author of Tao-te Ching‚ and Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher who lived 2000 years after Lao-tzu’s time‚ author of Prince. They are both philosophers but have totally different perspective on how to be a good leader. While both philosopher’s writing is instructive. Lao-tzu’s advice issues from detached view
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Danielle Butler October 16‚ 2011 English 101/ O.C #2-Machiavelli Though often presented as two ideological opposites‚ personally I find there to be a lot more similarities between Plato and Machiavelli than usually acknowledged. Obviously there are some sharp contrasts. If one examines the excerpts from Machiavelli’s “The Prince” and Plato’s “The Republic”‚ it’s easy to conclude that Plato believed it to be essential for a government leader to be just‚ good‚ and free from corruption
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