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Similarities Between The Prince And Machiavelli

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Devon Dekowski Professor Ives GVPT241, Section 105 October 13, 2017
Socrates & Machiavelli
Machiavelli’s Prince was written as a prescription for taking and maintaining power through calculated decisions and prudency. Socrates was the founder of the western world’s notion of philosophy, and a man who valued personal examination above all else. Both men had the goal of seeking knowledge but went about their task through different methods. If followed in its entirety, Machiavelli’s Price would have been an all-powerful ruler only focused on the control of his state which is not the type of ruler Socrates would be fond of. Despite this it is very possible that Socrates would be supportive of the system this prince ruled over.
The Prince in which Machiavelli believes could reunite Italy is one that is in complete control of his power and never afraid to be cruel. At the time that Machiavelli was writing The Prince, Italy was fractured and facing foreign invasions. Machiavelli’s focus was not on how the perfect world would work, rather on the practicality of uniting Italy and how to maintain power as a ruler. Machiavelli did not write on the morality of rule or the civil liberties of the people, instead he focused on what he thought would actually bring stability no matter the cost.
Machiavelli often commented on how his Prince should utilize killing in order to maintain power. For example in chapter two Machiavelli writes of killing and displacing whole towns in order to replace

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