Essay on Machiavellis The Prince Politics, War, and...

Machiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature [I]t is necessary for a prince to know well how to use the beast and the man. (Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 69[1]). In this swift blow, Niccolà ² Machiavelli seems to strike down many visions of morality put up on pedestals by thinkers before his time. He doesnt turn to God or to some sort of common good for his political morality. Instead, he turns to the individual?more specifically, self-preservation in a position of power. Machiavellis vision rules out the possibility of a higher political authority if higher is meant to say that the morality comes from the divine, but his vision certainly does not rule out any sort of higher political morality. To†¦show more content†¦Have they turned bad? Machiavelli?s answer is that they have always been bad. It should also be noted that the ?men involved in politics? in addition to those in government positions, also includes the general public who voices opinions on issues. Machiavelli believes that all men are partially bad . ?For one can say this generally of men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, pretenders and dissembles, evaders of danger, eager for gain.? (Machiavelli, p. 66). In context, Machiavelli?s statement is in the chapter ?Of Cruelty and Mercy, and Whether It Is Better to Be Loved Than Feared, or the Contrary.? He is using it to show that in order to rule successfully, a prince must also be ?bad,? or at least know what bad is. The introductory quote in this essay follows shortly after. Machiavelli believes that because all men are bad in some for or another, only a ruler who also holds and utilizes these traits when necessary can survive. ?Hence it is necessary to a prince, if he wants to maintain himself, to learn to be able not to be good, and to use this and not use it according to necessity.? (Machiavelli, p. 61). He goes further to say that if one prince didn?t step up, use the beast within him, and rule, another would in his place. Thus, sparing a population from cruel rule ( if that is what is necessary to ensure stability) spares them only temporarily from theShow MoreRelatedThe Transformative Works Of Niccolo Machiavelli s The Prince ( 1532 ) And Thomas More s Utopia1359 Words   |  6 Pagestransformative works Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince (1532) and Thomas More’s Utopia (1516) display vastly different opinions and perspectives on the relationship between virtue and politics, however some minor similarities between the two works can be noted. The Prince and Utopia create significant contributions to political theory offering different central claims on virtue and its relationship with politics. Another major point of difference between the two texts is the place that war has in their communitiesRead MoreAdolf Hitler to Machiavellis The Prince1671 Words   |  7 PagesWhen Machiavelli wrote The Prince in the 1500s, his intentions did not apply to the twentieth century. 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