Lynda Nwankwo HUM 212 W01 1/6/2014 Machiavelli- The Prince OUTLINE The Prince is sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy‚ especially modern political philosophy‚ in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than any abstract ideal. It was also in direct conflict with the dominant Catholic and scholastic doctrines of the time concerning how to consider politics and ethics. The Prince is sometimes claimed to be one of the first works of modern philosophy
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minimizing all chance and uncertainty. This kind of governing demands violence to be taken‚ however this is only done for the strict purpose of maintaining his throne‚ and generating both fear and admiration from his people. In all cases of violence‚ Machiavelli limits the amount of violence that needs to be taken down to the minimum‚ and most cases the victims of these acts are enemies of the people. Behind the violence‚ the prince is essentially taking the role of the villain and assuming all "bad" acts
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or evil. Machiavelli argues simply that man is self-centered and only after self preservation. He argues that mankind is immoral and greedy. His opinions are apparent as he states‚ "It may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful‚ voluble‚ dissemblers‚ anxious to avoid danger‚ and covetous of gain‚" in the eighteenth paragraph of The Prince. These thoughts and views have gained him the title of a cynic. More than a cynic however‚ Machiavelli is but a realist. Machiavelli feels that
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Background * Niccolo Machiavelli born in Florence Italy‚ May 3‚ 1469 * Father was a lawyer * Family had own personal library that had books on Roman and Greek philosophy * Saw the troubles of the French invasion (1493) * He was employed in diplomatic services and as a historiographer. * Wrote many books‚ but is best known for his masterpiece The Prince in 1513 * Never considered himself a philosopher * Yet he is considered one of the greatest philosophers * Died
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Thoughts on Ruling: Machiavelli VS. Petrarch In the fourteenth century‚ the humanist philosopher Francesco Petrarch wrote a letter entitled How a Ruler Ought to Govern His Sate. Nearly a century later‚ another philosopher by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a book about governing‚ The Prince. The two documents show many similarities in content and theme. While the two wrote in similar subject matter‚ it is clear that these philosophers possess distinctly different viewpoints on how a ruler
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War‚ Politics‚ Castiglione‚ and Machiavelli During the Renaissance period‚ many great minds expressed their ideas and talents to their fullest potential. Neither Baldesar Castiglione nor Niccoló Machiavelli were exceptions. In Castiglione?s greatest work‚ The Book of the Courtier‚ he describes the qualities that should be possessed by the perfect courtier in a compilation of made-up conversations between the members of the court of Urbino. In arguably Machiavelli?s best work‚ The Prince‚ he sets
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Prince At the end of the 14th century‚ Italy was still politically organized by city-states. Emerging as one of the most influential writers of the Renaissance‚ Niccolo Machiavelli was a political analyst‚ whose aim was to free italy from foreign rule‚ as well as to unite and strengthen the Italian city states. Machiavelli believed Italy could not be united unless its leader was ruthless. In 1513‚ he wrote his best-known work‚ The Prince‚ in which he describes the ways that a prince may gain
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Write an essay of no more than 2750 words on the following topic. Be sure to cite passages generously from the texts of Machiavelli and Hobbes (in quotation marks‚ of course). Since we’re all using the same translations of Machiavelli‚ you should cite by page number; since we have discussed Hobbes with reference to chapter and section number‚ you should cite this way: L 18.2. You should not do any secondary reading for this paper. Your work should be based on your own thinking‚ your own reading
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From Niccolo Machiavelli ’s farm near San Casciano he wrote The Prince (1513) which has been described as depicting Renaissance humanism‚ where secularism‚ history‚ and intellectual freedom are all stressed. This essay will maintain this notion by exploring the definition of humanism and exploring the text of Niccolo Machiavelli to see if his work‚ The Prince‚ does sustain the characteristics of humanism. The most important characteristics of Renaissance humanism that will be examined include secularism
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The Prince‚ one of the most popular and well known doctrines of political thought was also one of the greatest works of Niccoló Machiavelli. First published in 1513‚ The Prince was written in response to the failure of the Greek-based Italian city-states. Machiavelli wrote The Prince because‚ despite being a firm Republican‚ he was also well-documented as a strong patriot. He wanted that his people live under a free but effective government‚ but he decided that if his nation has to be ruled by
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