Present Day Machiavellian

Ten characteristics of a good Machiavellian ruler are that he must be Prudent, tactical, considerate, diligent, enchanting, meticulous, noble, observant, avoidance of hatred or despise, and war-wise. A prince must be prudent and observant because he must be aware of those that surround him, he should keep a close watch on his servants. In chapter XXIII Machiavelli writes, “ Therefore, a prudent prince must hold to a third mode, choosing wise men in his state; and only to these should he give freedom.”.A Machiavellian ruler is also diligent and considerate of the people that he rules. In chapter XVII Machiavelli writes, “ A prince,therefore, so as to keep his subjects united and faithful, should not care about infamy of cruelty, because with

In 1513, an Italian politician by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli distributed, though privately, a political treatise called The Prince. This treatise was, essentially, a guide on how to effectively rule one's country. It's important beforehand to define exactly what a Machiavellian is, before describing one. A Machiavellian is a leader who, through his power and influence, works toward the common good of his people. This can be done through fear, through deceit, even through manipulation. It is important to understand the main principle of a Machiavellian; the end justifies the means. The end being the common good of his people. Vladimir Putin is a Machiavellian in the ways he retains power, institutes reform, and executes economic

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

The writings of Nicolo Machiavelli are the single most important example of this new humanist thought. Drawing from ancient Roman writers, Machiavelli developed a worldly concept of politics, and was one of the first in the modern period to discuss the virtues of republican government and a system of checks and balances. He is perhaps most famous for his rejection of Christian idealism in politics. Princes and other leaders, he argued, must view human affairs must as they really are, not as we hope ideally they should be. The rules of worldly power (best understood by the

"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

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.

Machiavelli's work was based primarily on achieving power and stability. The citizenry, while important to keep appeased and docile, was not the basis of Machiavelli's perspective. This was not a humanist work; the active engagement of normative, humanist thinking is counterproductive to understanding Machiavelli. In many circumstances, Machiavelli speaks of controlled violence to achieve an end. This discerns that power is not an intrinsic element in itself but an external, conditioned construct that has no true inherent morality. The most pessimistic, however, realistic description of power is simply whomever has the authority to enforce laws--or subservience-- through threat of violence on a specific

In his landmark political treatise The Prince, Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli put forth a framework for ruling a people that is at once derided and deferred to even today. The highly controversial ideology calls for a firm, even ruthless form of leadership that commands respect through any means necessary. Machiavelli allows even for the use of fear, violence and evil where appropriate. But it is in defining where these tactics are appropriate that we enter a discussion about the American political process. In one respect, our electoral cycle differentiates the United States significantly from the feudal hierarchy of 16th Century Italy. In another respect though, a reflection on the wholesale corruption of the former Bush administration may suggest otherwise. Today, it may be argued that many conservative and Republican political figures closely resemble Machiavelli in their espoused extremism but in fact, differ from the philosopher in their overall intentions. Where Machiavelli underscored his framework with an understanding that rulership is for the greater good, regardless of the measures employed to maintain this, self-interest and greed are a common presence in today's political process.

Machiavellian, nowadays, is a synonym for someone that is cruel and self-interested. While in reality, Niccolò Machiavelli, a counsellor of Princes during the Florentine Republic, was one of the greatest defenders of people’s liberty and political self-determination. He is depicted in such erroneous ways because his amoral and realist point of view was extremely controversial during the time he lived. Yet, the writer always defended the people and their interests as a whole.

What’s better than the sweet taste of power? According to Machiavelli, nothing seems to compare to the high power brings. Many leaders throughout history perfectly embodied some of his truths and remained in power. Though their tactics were questionable and brought plenty of tragedies one could argue that they produced great leaders.But are Machiavelli’s ideas still relevant? Yes, they’re arguably more relevant than they've ever been. Machiavelli’s tactic, though extreme, are relevant in the modern age because they appear in foreign nations, early age influences, and American politics.

People became so involved questioning the principles of Machiavelli's prince that they do not realize that effectiveness of power is more important than the morality of the principle. For this reason, Machiavelli was considered to be the devil incarnate when he wrote The Prince. The term Machiavellian, was born after publishing the book during the Elizabethan era, symbolizing a leader marked with cruelty and ruthlessness. The Machiavellian tactic is the acting in accordance with the principles of government, in which politics is placed before morality or power over values. The tactic involves use of deceit to maintain authority and carry out the policies of a ruler. From The Prince, Machiavelli was explaining how people struggle for power and authority. Machiavelli got the idea during the military scandal in 1499, from his first diplomatic mission to France (1500), and from his acquaintance with Cesare Borgia (1502).

This philosophy is rooted unapologetically in reality and in history. In the dedication of The Prince, Machiavelli credits his wisdom to, “study of the classics,” and, “an understanding of the deeds of great men.” In Discourses he again cites history, mentioning by name Hiero of Syracuse and soon thereafter in the preface of Book I lamenting that no one imitates the deeds of great men. Throughout both texts, Machiavelli leans on historical examples to explain and prove his ideas. His uses of these icons in each respective text serves to further differentiate them. In The Prince, the central is example is Cesare Borgia. Machiavelli describes Borgia’s deceptions and coercions, war

When examining Machiavelli political ideals, it is hard to look at it without saying this is cruel and not ideal in any sense. Machiavelli is a prime example for a strong leader that pursues justice through unification and has shown to be very open-minded. Justice doesn’t just come through cruelty and strength, it also requires intelligence with careful studies. As exhibited in the prior quote, he takes in historical mistakes and success to shape his ideal. To have a culture with justice, Machiavelli pushes that “It is necessary for a prince who wish to maintain his position to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it accordingly” (224). It is quite evident that Machiavelli is willing to use the full extent of his power without fear. Through his willingness and open-mindedness, he examines both side, good and the bad, for the benefit of his country. He believes only those that can utilize both knowledge is fit for the position of being a prince. When he says knowledge, it goes deep into the studies of history and past experiences. It is shown time and time again throughout his

There are many reasons why Machiavelli is widely considered the beginner of modern political thought, one of the many is he studied strictly the politicians, and businessmen. Machiavelli recognized the political playing field as a vile place only for the most dominating and cunning of political giants. One of Machiavelli’s most famous work, On Principalities, or known by the other title, The Prince, absolutely announced a break with previous political beliefs secured between moral and religion system, it examines the nature of his views on power that are still somewhat in existent today. Machiavelli discusses in this work power over the

However, that said, some of his ideas continue to attract philosophical engagements even by the so-called first rank philosophers. This qualifies the incorporation of some of his ideologies into any comprehensive philosophical survey. This paper therefore zeros in on his political ideals that have culminated into what is known as Machiavelli’s political philosophy of ‘Machiavellism’ (Meinecke, 1965). The paper seeks to explore his political ideologies in general. Further, the paper seeks to establish based on any real evidence whether Machiavelli is indeed a ‘break’ in the political philosophy or otherwise. In keeping with the latter