The Prince is the most famous and widely studied of Niccolò Machiavelli’s works. His upbringing in and unstable world and his high level of education produced a very politically minded man‚ who used logic and solid reasoning to back up his actions and his writing. The Prince was revolutionary in its use of evidence rather than lofty ideals and morals. Historical leaders and a few famous battles are referenced within the book’s many chapters. Although it is unclear whether the book was to be taken
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Machiavelli was trying to gain the favor of a local leader by giving him advice. Through the use of repetition‚ historical reference‚ and persuasive aphorisms Machiavelli effectively conveyed the important skills required to be a prince. Machiavelli repeated himself numerous times throughout the piece. The purpose of this was to relay the importance of the advice given. To illustrate this point‚ Machiavelli says that if a prince wants his people to respect him‚ he must “keep his hands off the
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Machiavelli and Adolf Hitler are both names synonymous with evil: killing without reason‚ fear tactics‚ cruelty. “Adolf Hitler‚ according to his own word‚ kept The Prince by his bedside‚ where it served as a constant source of inspiration…” (Downs 201). Machiavelli’s work is known as a guide to holding absolute power; Hitler took The Prince’s advice‚ but the extent is up for debate. They shared basic mutual principles‚ but certain technicalities are different. Hitler took a great amount of inspiration
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extremely theoretical and courtly. Machiavelli‚ on the other hand‚ believed in whatever means necessary to achieve power‚ and the stability that came along with it. A strong state is a secure state‚ according to Machiavelli. So‚ Machiavelli encouraged deceit and violence in a ruler‚ but only to gain a stronger control and stability as a nation. A ruler uses many tricks to get his own way‚ not all of these tricks are completely honest ones. Machiavelli uses the examples of two animals
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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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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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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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