Thomas Jefferson and Niccolo Machiavelli share similar and different thoughts on how a government should run. On how the government should function. From the rule of the government the rule of the people. However Machiavelli's essay is more cynical, while on the other hand Jefferson is more logical. We might live in a Machiavellian world but it all depends on what people believe in. Personally I believe that Machiavelli's philosophy is cynical compared to Jefferson, Therefore I believe more in Jefferson's piece which is far more realistic although Machiavelli still catches realism in the world we live today. “We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all mean are created equal....” One of Thomas Jefferson's examples of …show more content…
Machiavelli also presents the idea that the power of a leader depends more on the qualities of the man than on of god. Thats the matter, loved and feared-qualities need there limits the same way as anything else in a social relation. Machiavelli himself stating that a man who makes himself loved than who makes himself feared; the reason is that love is a link to obligation, which men, because they are rotten, and will break any time soon. Machiavelli complicates the nation of good as purely subordinate power, arguing that the excess of “good” can actually do harm. In this case too much clemency can lead to uprisings and civil war. Cruelty what Machiavelli believes in, states that it can serve the greater good. I personally disagree with Machiavelli's text, I think love is stronger than fear. A commander loved by his soldiers will defeat a commander feared by his soldiers in almost all battles, but the feared commander is less subject to arbitrary chance. Its not only love that can destroy a man, so can fear. “For its a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle liars, and deceivers, fearful of danger, and the greedy for gain” Machiavelli stated. To me this really caught my attention, because it reminded me of this years presidential election, between Romney and President Barack Obama. How in the debate, a lot of people and including myself over heard lies about both Romney and the President. Romney
Machiavelli led us to a question that was continuously in disagreement. That question was “Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa” (p.392)? Machiavelli thought that one is to be loved & feared. Nevertheless, at the same time it’s tremendously hard to achieve being both loved & feared. Machiavelli believed that if one had to do without one of them that it would be a safer to be feared than to be loved. For example if a ruler was more loved than feared then if you served their men’s interest & were also devoted to them they would promise you their blood, possessions, lives, & children until you needed help because once you needed help you were on our own. If you’re more feared than loved then when you’re in trouble your
Machiavelli tackles the question “is it better to be loved or feared by people?”. Giving his insight on the matter, it is clear to see the benefits and downside to both. Every prince should desire to be perceived as a kind ruler rather than cruel one. However, he must avoid misusing or overusing his compassion. Cesare Borgia was considered cruel, yet his oppressiveness ended up resulting in peace and unity in Romagna (Machiavelli,trans; W. K. Marriott). Meanwhile on the other hand of mercifulness, when the Florentines tried to avoid cruelty, this allowed Pistoia to be destroyed (Machiavelli,trans; W. K. Marriott). Machiavelli argues once a
The last of the three major themes is cruelty. Machiavelli says that its better for a leader to be feared than to be loved. Love can be a lie but fear cannot.
Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli encourages the idea that a fear leader is a good leader. Machiavelli makes the point that a good leader knows that it is, “far safer to be feared than loved” (Machiavelli 43) because love allows for weakness. It is easy to keep people under control and in line when they fear their leader because they do not want to have to face consequences that come with “doing wrong”. When a leader is loved, some many look at this as a weakness. Those who fear their leader are is less likely to curate rebellions and revolts because they know that their leader is not afraid of applying punishment. When a ruler is too kind to their subjects it leaves them vulnerable and they are easily taken advantage of, which threatens their position. For a good leader should, “desire to be accounted merciful and not cruel”, and needs to,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
While some other great political thinkers sat around and dreamed about their perfect little utopias in the clouds, notably Socrates and Plato, Machiavelli was analyzing the most powerful men of his day. He observed and recorded how men flocked the sheep to exactly where they were wanted by their shepherd. He watched as the wolves preyed on the sheep and noticed that there was no philosopher king around to prevent it. He accepted that we as humans are corrupt and that we can’t all be Marcus Aurelius, king of
Machiavelli’s interpretation of human nature was greatly shaped by his belief in God. In his writings, Machiavelli conceives that humans were given free will by God, and the choices made with such freedom established the innate flaws in humans. Based on that, he attributes the successes and failure of princes to their intrinsic weaknesses, and directs his writing towards those faults. His works are rooted in how personal attributes tend to affect the decisions one makes and focuses on the singular commanding force of power. Fixating on how the prince needs to draw people’s support, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of doing what is best for the greater good. He proposed that working toward a selfish goal, instead of striving towards a better state, should warrant punishment. Machiavelli is a practical person and always thought of pragmatic ways to approach situations, applying to his notions regarding politics and
According to Machiavelli's view of how to be an effective leader, a ruler should be one who is feared but not hated. Machiavelli states that fear is better than love because love is unreliable. All of the reasons that Machiavelli gives relate to how human nature controls men and drives them to commit crimes in order to reach their goals and satisfy themselves.
Niccolo Machiavelli stressed that “one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved…for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.” He felt that a true leader must be cunning and deceptive, winning the hearts of his people through power and influence. If he could not be liked, he could at least get by knowing he has intimidated these below him into submission. However rash or cruel this may seem, Machiavelli’s argument is not one to be countered easily.
The master mentality was concentrated in Machiavelli’s time after his writing, portraying admirable leaders as those who didn’t shift or stifle, and only showed the public their authority by disciplining those who betrayed them. Machiavelli was dire about this as he says “Therefore, a prince must not worry about the reproach of cruelty when it is a matter of keeping his subjects united and loyal.” (227) Yet in the eyes of Machiavelli, he would crave the church’s power, and try to adapt that into the morals of a ruler, from which he says “This could not have arisen from anything other than his inhuman cruelty, which, along with his many other abilities, made him always respected and terrifying in the eyes of his soldiers; and without that, to attain the same effect, his other abilities would not be sufficed.” (229) I think Machiavelli is mistaken because he overlooks the destruction such greed implodes upon itself. To have an icon, be it church or ruler, whiled feared is where an order is then craved constantly. Nietzsche, I think, held Machiavelli in high regards of being assertive in leadership, “In the political realm too, hostility has now become more spiritual – much more sensible, much more thoughtful, much more considerate.” (348) In this I think he feels that through all classes of life, from the animal kingdom to humans, there has to be a force to be beckoned with that of a
There has been controversy between scholars about author Niccolo Machiavelli. His two famous works The Prince and The Discourses are two books which discuss monarchy and republic government and how both need to work to be efficient. The question asked is how can the author of The Prince also have written The Discourses? How can Machiavelli write about a republic with separation of power, then write about how a new established monarchy can work and survive? We will discuss the ideas set forth in both books and decide whether or not Machiavelli works are consistent or contradictory.
On the other hand, Machiavelli’s conceptions are that people are good only when it helps them, humans are wicked by nature, and glory and riches are the end goal. “In projects aiming at what everyone aims at, namely glory and riches…” (52). According to Machiavelli, the end goal is not the “good” unlike Aristotle’s claim that it is, but rather that glory and money are, which is a view that holds true even today. In reference to whether it’s better to be feared or loved, Machiavelli states it’s better to be feared. “The reason for this is a facet about men in general: they are ungrateful, fickle, deceptive, cowardly, and greedy. As long as the ruler is doing them good, they are entirely yours,” (36). He continues with the idea that if the ruler
Machiavelli ties virtue very closely to that of prudence. He defines virtue as acting exceptionally and draws a distinction between morality and virtue. In many respects Machiavelli defines virtue by prudence. If a ruler is able to balance his violence, keep his subjects appeased, and have a dire understanding of his threats, then in Machiavelli's eyes the ruler has a strong virtue. What must be understood is that the throne is always in jeopardy and someone is always there to try to knock the prince off his pedestal. This is a prime understanding that a prince must have, and fuels the infamous argument by Machiavelli that it is better to be feared than loved. Machiavelli explains that, for the most part, love is very subjective and eventually will subside unless further concessions are made to appease his subjects. In addition, people only care about their personal conveniences and a prince would have to overextend himself if he were to be loved by all. Fear, however, is not subjective and has a universal effect on all his people. Fear can be attained by sporadic violent acts. One must understand, however, that massive amounts of violence can not be done because it would portray the Prince as tyrant, and might stir up his people to revolt against him. The acts must be calculated, concise, and serve a direct purpose not only to his benefit but to the
Through his word choice it makes it clear that it is ideally the best choice to be cruel when needed because it is cruel to completely pretend that it is not necessary. The strength, intelligence, and experience clearly show Machiavelli’s ideal to pursue a just society that keeps everyone in check and unified with one another.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal." – Martin Luther King