Unlike the idealistic ancient philosophers such as Plato‚ who discusses politics in “the context of things above politics” (Machiavelli vii)‚ the modern philosophers‚ Niccolò Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes‚ take a realistic approach in explaining political actions and outcomes. Considered to be among the first social scientists‚ they both try to delve deep into the nature of mankind and its relationship to politics. In the course of doing so‚ both authors seem to believe that virtue and morality‚
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Life is a power struggle. Throughout life‚ we continuously attempt to gain power over our peers. Marriage is no exception‚ and in Macbeth‚ by William Shakespeare‚ the pursuit of power between Macbeth and his wife is the impetus for a slew of horrific acts. Shakespeare initially characterizes the couple by their swapped gender roles. Where Macbeth appears spineless and impotent‚ his wife appears masculine. Macbeth attempts to gain power by assimilating himself to a life of sordid schemes. Lady Macbeth
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I will begin talking about what I propose to discuss in my dissertation. Firstly the title includes two main components; who influenced Machiavelli and the second part includes who he himself influenced through his writings and actions of war and violence. I have done numerous accounts of research‚ most importantly by reading the art of war written by Machiavelli. This book consists of answering the first question of who influenced him. Throughout the book‚ there are many examples which show who
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Machiavelli made many important statements in his work‚ The Prince. One of the most controversial is: “A man who wishes to make a vocation of being good at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not good.” (Par. 7). There is some truth to that statement because when we take it to our perspective‚ it seems as if people that do not do good‚ always manage to obtain what they want. There is a well-known saying that says “nice guys finish last”. This saying is somewhat equivalent to a modern
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The Prince MAJOR THEME Machiavelli had a true and abiding love for Florence. He wanted to make Florence great and also find himself a job‚ as he lost his when the Medici family came into power. He dedicated his book on political science‚ The Prince‚ to Lorenzo Medici in the hopes that Lorenzo would be impressed and offer him a job. However‚ Lorenzo ignored the book and Machiavelli. The Prince is a didactic examination of political power‚ how to achieve it‚ maintain it‚ and expand
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endeavor and very few rulers have been able to accomplish this. "This leads us to a question that is in dispute: Is it better to be loved than feared‚ or vice versa?" (Machiavelli‚ 51) An effective ruler would be one that relies upon fear without hatred‚ rather than love‚ as described by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. In a perfect world all people would be good-hearted‚
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A Contrast of Political Controversy: The Prince versus Capital It is often very difficult to judge which policies and principalities are correct when comparing and contrasting controversial literary works. In The Prince‚ Niccolo Machiavelli presents many ideas that may be looked at as unethical by the general population of a nation. In fact‚ Machiavelli’s ideas were looked down upon by his own nation‚ Italy‚ resulting in his eventual exile. For Karl Marx‚ Capital presents many contradictions
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Machiavelli says that men possess virtu that is challenged by fortuna. On the other hand‚ Wollstonecraft argues that there is no such thing as ‘sexual virtues’. I agree with Wollstonecraft in that there are no ‘sexual virtues’‚ because in my experience men and women are equal. In the excerpts of The Prince‚ Machiavelli outlines the ways a prince should conduct himself in order to rule successfully and maintain power over a state. He first discusses what brings about praise over blame. Specifically
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light offenses; they cannot avenge severe ones; hence‚ the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge. This passage from Chapter III is an example of logical reasoning conspicuously devoid of ethical considerations. A prince must realize that he has two options: benevolence and destruction. Because the latter option will cause resentment among the people‚ he should choose it only if he is absolutely sure there will be no ill consequences—that the destruction he incurs
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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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