Machiavelli's View Of Humanism

In general, Machiavelli believes people are fundamentally self-interested and unreliable. He writes “Men are quick to change ruler when they imagine they can improve their lot.” (The Prince) Machiavelli looks at all men as stupid and irrational, incapable of knowing what is actually best for them. He believes that men would opt for a diet that taste better and completely ignore the fact that there may be a hidden poison within the food because men are so accustom to taking care of their self interest over everything else they are blind to the actual deception of man’s evil intent. In his eye’s all men are greedy, yet gullible, so they are easily acceptable to manipulation and cons. Human nature is nothing more than men behaving as if there is no difference between the nature of man and animal. Just like animals, men possess both good and bad qualities that allow them to survive within the presence of a community. Because man is so anxious to avoid danger, he is able to keep his self interest at bay most of the time. Machiavelli suggests the reason this happens is because a lot of the time people’s self interest actually intertwine. (Erb) The difference between Augustine and Machiavelli is that while Machiavelli feels that all human behavior is conceptual from birth, Augustine believes that men choose to be

1. How does Machiavelli view human nature? Provide examples in your explanation. Throughout the book, M view human beings as deceitful, superficial, and fragile. M repeatedly mentions that humans are only concerned with upcoming situations and always fail to view the farther future.

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

The Prince Is not a good or bad example of humanism because all the traits the prince has are very valuable in humanism and the prince seemed like someone he believed in his people more than himself, but they wouldn't keep up their virtue and do dishonest thing but would justify it with “The ends justify the means”. The Prince Machiavelli wanted had to be strong and charismatic, he's going to have to make his people believe and hope when the times are bad, a leader should have a calm manner and concern for others. The leader should be charismatic because the people will agree with you. Everything is easier when you have people who'll support and back your ideas. The leader should have faith in their people like if they formed an army and they didn't look like they'd be successful he wouldn't

Lastly, Machiavelli was in a since different Socrates whereas he wrote his philosophy on paper. Socrates had philosophical vision write by his student Plato. Machaivelli would have his writings banned by the Catholic Church and others. In an article titled, “The Reception of The Prince 1513-1700, or Why We Understand Machiavelli the Way We Do” written by Jacob Soll states that “Yet Machiavelli’s work survived Gentillet’s attack and the church’s condemnation to become a staple of the philosophies of early modern statecraft” (31). This is an amazing artifact in hindsight.

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 views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity,

Machiavelli believed that vicious action should be taken by a leader if it meant that he would remain in power and be a stronger prince. As is shown in this quote from The Prince, “Men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared”, Machiavelli believed that it was better to be feared than loved. In his opinion, violence by a prince worked to solidify his power and be the means that is justified by this end: a strong successful ruler who is feared and thus respected by all. In The Prince, he cites the example of Cesare Borgia who was considered cruel but through this cruelty was able to unify the state and restore peace and stability (Machievelli, 150 chapter XVII). Socrates, on the other hand, did not believe in

According to Machiavelli, virtue is hard work and sweat. Machiavelli believes that the Romans were successful at conquering states and then ruling over them by sending out colonies, allowing some identities and powers to remain in the states without sacrificing or increasing their own power, and by keeping the influence of other states out of their conquered states. Machiavelli writes that the Romans not only watched out for the struggles of the present, but they looked out for and avoided the potential struggles of the future. When Machiavelli uses the term cruelty well used he means that violence will be necessary in order to take and keep power. He writes that one should do it quickly and at one time, however, as to not draw out the violence

but it should not be a potent part of authority. The examples I presented all showed

Machiavelli has long been required reading for everyone intrested in politics and power. In The Prince Niccolo M

He does not follow the idea of virtue established by Petrarch, he disregards the limitless possibility of mankind set forth by Manetti and he refuses to acknowledge the “god-like” qualities established by Della Mirandola. Because of these issues, it is impossible to consider Niccolo Machiavelli a humanist, since these concepts are the foundation to every humanistic approach. While Machiavelli’s novel was one of the most prominent works of the 16th century and furthered a new idea for the ruling class, it hindered the notions that many humanists held dear during the

For centuries, periods of history have been defined by their distinct values, their tastes in art, music, literature, and politics. If you hear the term "Romantic Era" your mind is immediately transported to hear the soft music of Lizt, Schubert, or Chopin, and your eyes begin to see waves of the soft colours found in the paintings of Turner, Goya, and Blake. You might even begin reciting a line from a poem by Lord Byron or a quote from one of Jane Austen 's beloved novels. Even if we do not know specific names of people from that era, we will get a feeling, or a sense of what it must have been like, simply from the things we have heard about it. Sometimes, phrases we commonly use today are even named after periods of time in history, which characterize an aspect of this time periods values and ideals. An example of this is the modern term "Renaissance Man".

The humanist movement brought about the inspiration of both Niccolò Machiavelli and Baldassare Castiglione during the Italian Renaissance of the fifteenth century. Machiavelli and Castiglione shared their beliefs about society in their published writings. The most notorious of Machiavelli’s works was The Prince, a take on the political structure and successes of western civilization. Castiglione’s most known publication, The Courtier, was heavily influenced by the works of Plato and Cicero and contributed heavy sections of dialogue. The writings of these two writers was truly visionary for the time and expressed the various opinions on how a specific faction of people should behave during the time.

On the contrary, Machiavelli believes that man should look out for himself and no one else; he believes that men are only concerned with their own self-interest anyways. Human nature is a concept that Machiavelli really mocks in a sense in that he sets guidelines in exactly what a prince needs to be in order to be successful. He states that the prince should be the one and only sole authority, and he must be trustworthy and cause fear in order to have