Insight on Machiavelli
Carey Emmerke #677
Smith
GPH 320 12/1/13
The Prince: Logical or Illogical?
Many times in philosophy people will bounce around the topic of a god, and even some who believe a god is real may not necessarily believe that their god is working in their lives daily. For me, Yahweh is the only logical explanation for our existence that I can come up with. Most philosophers would look at the last statement and tell me that it is not logical from their point of view for a god to even be in the picture. Humans have many emotions and many different aspects of their lives that form who we are. When you look at the work The Prince, written by Machiavelli you can clearly see how the mind can be filled with so many different ideas on how we are supposed to live this life. From the basics, which includes creation versus evolution, to even how people perceive you on a daily basis? Machiavelli is very concerned with power of all things. In his book, he has devised his ultimate plan to be a successful and powerful ruler. There are real questions to be asked when studying his works though. As I was reading I noticed that faulty logic was one of his main problems throughout the course of this work. The mind is a very powerful thing. We were created so smart that we can literally believe anything that we can come to consider. Logical stability is key to maintaining the power of the mind, which I believe Machiavelli did an extremely poor job of. When looking at Machiavelli a person must first understand that Machiavelli himself never held the position of Prince, but his ideas are all based off of what he thinks is true. Right from the beginning, I would see this being very logically inaccurate. I am not certified to be an architect. In the same sense that Machiavelli is not a Prince, I should be able to write a book about what it takes to be the best architect. Most people with common human reason would understand that to be a statement with faulty logic. Machiavelli’s belief
Smith
GPH 320 12/1/13
The Prince: Logical or Illogical?
Many times in philosophy people will bounce around the topic of a god, and even some who believe a god is real may not necessarily believe that their god is working in their lives daily. For me, Yahweh is the only logical explanation for our existence that I can come up with. Most philosophers would look at the last statement and tell me that it is not logical from their point of view for a god to even be in the picture. Humans have many emotions and many different aspects of their lives that form who we are. When you look at the work The Prince, written by Machiavelli you can clearly see how the mind can be filled with so many different ideas on how we are supposed to live this life. From the basics, which includes creation versus evolution, to even how people perceive you on a daily basis? Machiavelli is very concerned with power of all things. In his book, he has devised his ultimate plan to be a successful and powerful ruler. There are real questions to be asked when studying his works though. As I was reading I noticed that faulty logic was one of his main problems throughout the course of this work. The mind is a very powerful thing. We were created so smart that we can literally believe anything that we can come to consider. Logical stability is key to maintaining the power of the mind, which I believe Machiavelli did an extremely poor job of. When looking at Machiavelli a person must first understand that Machiavelli himself never held the position of Prince, but his ideas are all based off of what he thinks is true. Right from the beginning, I would see this being very logically inaccurate. I am not certified to be an architect. In the same sense that Machiavelli is not a Prince, I should be able to write a book about what it takes to be the best architect. Most people with common human reason would understand that to be a statement with faulty logic. Machiavelli’s belief
Cited: Wiker, Benjamin. 10 Books That Screwed up the World: And 5 Others That Didn 't Help. Washington, DC: Regnery Pub., 2008. Print. Ignasov, Trinn. "Analysis of Power, Competition and Strategies: Case of Machiavelli, the Prince." Analysis of Power, Competition and Strategies: Case of Machiavelli,...Web. 01 Feb. 2013. Machiavelli, Niccolò, and William K. Marriott. "15-19." The Prince. London: Dent, 1958. Print.