Machiavelli: Personal and Political Implications Essay example

In The Prince, originally written in 1513 and later published in 1532, Florentine administrator and diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli argues that a ruler must take appropriate action based upon pragmatism and independence in order to seize and hold power. Based on the circumstances, a ruler must be able to select between contrasting influences: liberality and parsimony, virtue and immorality, prudence and recklessness. The book was very controversial when first published because it contended the Christian ideals that rulers should always be good and just, but the novel is highly acclaimed today. Machiavelli not only proposes a series of revolutionary political ideas in The Prince but also offers a persuasive and masterful defense of them.

Machiavelli concentrated more on the way things should be and how to manipulate them for his own personal gain rather than for the betterment of the state. He was well-known for being a political thinker who believed that outcomes justified why things happened. A key aspect of Machiavelli’s concept of the Prince was that “men must either be caressed or annihilated” (Prince, 9). What Machiavelli meant by

Machiavelli writes the ‘Prince’ while away in exile which by most people, is interpreted as his manual or guide on how to rule. It is quite clear that he demonstrates political interest and advocacy in his work through the many stories of past rulers he shares as examples of what to do and what not to do. An example of a ruler who came from a lower position, meaning no riches or status, was Agathocles (son of a potter, who became the King of Syracuse) (Machiavelli [1532] 2006) which is similar to the status of the man Plato speaks of, Socrates. However, Machiavelli speaks for power politics and the importance of the ruler being in total control since “a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others” ([1532]

"The term Machiavellian refers to someone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipled"(Goods 1998). Many scholars agree that this particular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attributed as being one of the brightest lights of the Italian Renaissance through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political thought. His most famous work The Prince has been misunderstood due to the motives discussed and the blatantly honest language used. Many of his critics have condemned him for his pessimistic outlook of man as a whole and in doing so try to negate the bulk of his work. Yet even after over 470

The Church accused Niccolo Machiavelli of being Satan for writing his book The Prince. Machiavelli completed The Prince in 1513. He wrote it as a gift to Lorenzo Medici, called the Magnificent, ruler of Florence. The political views Machiavelli expressed in his book went against the theology of the Church, specifically the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes.

Niccolo Machiavelli, a political philosopher and diplomat during the Renaissance, wrote based on his belief as result of incidents he had actually experienced. "His works often contrast two forces: luck (one's fortune) and character (one's virtues)."p.35 Machiavelli's writings on "The Qualities of the Prince" focus on advise for monarchial leaders to follow in order to keep their power. Machiavelli's main theory is that princes should retain absolute control of their territories, and they should use any means, and do what ever it takes to achieve this goal. The adjective "Machiavellian" has become despised and it is used to describe a politician who manipulates others in an opportunistic and deceptive way.

As a ruler learns to act as both lion and fox he does so out of necessity. A ruler acts out of expectation. Machiavelli tells the reader that a ruler needs to be both lion and fox, because of expectation. Thus by extension a ruler assumes any number of roles of expectation . Thus to be a ruler you must be able to use doublethink. In an Orwellian sense a ruler who instills fear is loved. The very reaction of fear creates a sense of security which his followers revel in. A leader needs to demonstrate, every role, from the jester, to commander, to friend, to follower, to caring father role. He acts every role so his followers can never figure him out. Thus an effective ruler must not only be beast-like , he must be a beast of camouflage. In every situation he needs to anticipate the needs of his followers. A ruler must be everything so he remains unpredictable. He is not one thing, he is everything. Both delightful and gregarious. He is capable of being merciful then destructive. He is isolated yet loved. He is everything at once to be effective. A ruler that is able to acts on demand is unable to be anticipated. At any moment he changes to a new role to serve his end. His followers in perpetual confusion, his power is assured. Machiavelli tells us that a ruler is not just a beast, he is an actor. A ruler who acts is never

In The Prince Machiavelli speaks about virtue, and describes many of his characters to be virtuous. Machiavelli’s ideal virtuous leader must have the ability to avoid fortune, ability to use one’s own arms, and being a virtuous leader involves skill, therefore, to gain and remain in power.

Lorenzo de' Medici: I will be the judge of that. (Many might not be able to see through

When reading Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, one can’t help but grasp Machiavelli’s argument that morality and politics can not exist in the same forum. However, when examining Machiavelli’s various concepts in depth, one can conclude that perhaps his suggested violence and evil is fueled by a moral end of sorts. First and foremost, one must have the understanding that this book is aimed solely at the Prince or Emperor with the express purpose of aiding him in maintaining power. Therefore, it is essential to grasp his concepts of fortune and virtue. These two contrary concepts reflect the manner in which a Prince should govern while minimizing all chance and uncertainty. This kind of governing demands violence to be taken, however this

The implications of such a view of history for politics is Machiavelli’s claim that, because history is the study of the actions of great men with fixed natures, history itself is subject to a discernible method that may be used to understand the present and predict the future. The man who understands the repetitive nature of history does not attribute the unexpected events of the present to fortune or God, but to his failure to find an accurate parallel to the present event in the past. In his outline of the proper education of a prince, Machiavelli suggests that “as to the exercise of the mind, a prince should read histories and consider in them the actions of excellent men, should see how they conducted themselves in wars, should examine the causes of their victories and losses, so as to be able to avoid the latter and imitate the former” (Prince, 60) . Philopoemen, by evaluating every possible military maneuver, achieved a state of expertise at which “there could never arise, while he led the army, any accident for which he did not have the remedy” (Prince, 60). In other words, the knowledge of all possibilities could head off the devastating effects of fortune. Thus, fortune is defined not as the source of inexplicable events, but as the failure to predict events. Fortune—whether good or ill—is simply bad

The central thesis of his book concerns how to acquire and keep political power. Machiavelli was different than most writes in the Middle Ages. He believed a prince’s attitude toward power should be based on an understanding of human nature, as he would say self-centered. Machiavelli was one of the first to abandon morality as the basis for analyzing political activity. He influenced many other political leaders. The Prince was an amazing book, but he didn’t stop there. He has several other books, including Discourses on Livy, The Art of War, Florentine Histories, and many

Machiavelli himself once said, “At an early age, I learned how to scrimp rather than to thrive” (King 3). This meant that Machiavelli was not born into wealth and instead of being given everything he wanted; he had to work for it.

Machiavelli found it really important to study those that came before him. Machiavelli states, “I have been unable to find among my possessions anything which I hold so dear or esteem so highly as that knowledge” It is this knowledge and carefully analysis of history that makes his argument truly compelling. Theorists before him like aristotle used observation and imagination in order to develop their political theory’s. But observation does not determine political success it is the careful analysis and emulation of great leaders . Machiavelli proves this when he says , “ But as to exercise for the mind, the prince ought to read history and study the actions of eminent men,...and above all, do as some eminent men have done in the past,..so that when fortune changes she may find him prepared to resist her blows.” This speaks to the spellbinding nature of Machiavelli’s

Machiavelli summarizes these qualities which are severity and graciousness; magnanimity and generosity; determination and diplomacy; and the capability of protecting himself from enemies, of winning friends, of conquering either by force or by fraud, and of being loved and feared at the same time. Machiavelli believes that those qualities are a recipe for success, however in Cesare Borgia's case, Machiavelli explains that, fortune had turned on him with the death of his father at a time when Cesare Borgia was still securing his position of power and Cesare Borgia's own serious illness. These two misfortunes, Machiavelli explains, were the result of an extraordinary and extreme instance which was by no fault of his own. This shows that fortune can sometimes overwhelm a situations and no mater how skilled a person is on dealing with the situations fortune has brought them, some things, in Cesare Borgia's case, cannot be stopped.