Machiavelli Research Paper
POLY SCI 132 5/3/11
Machiavelli the Realist Machiavelli revolutionized the way the worldviews politics. However, when we read his writings today, the ideas don’t seem very revolutionary. This is because his thoughts came to embody political structure. Machiavelli is known for being the first political philosopher to apply realism to politics. Machiavelli wanted to find a solution to his dark reality. Machiavelli’s The Prince presents us with the reality of the political arena, and provides us with the tools to work with human nature and its shortcomings.
The Prince was written as a guide for Lorenzo de’Medici of Florence to stay in power. However, Lorenzo did not agree with Machiavelli’s assumptions. Machiavelli …show more content…
The Prince gains territory by victory and sets solid foundations for the territory to flourish upon, “One, however, who becomes Prince by favor of the populace, must maintain friendship, which he will find easy, the people asking nothing but not to be oppressed”(Santoni, 1950). Machiavelli believes that a good nation with just laws will develop from an efficient military. He is not arguing that you need a war to create a state, but rather a successful victory can create a solid foundation of the state. Machiavelli understands human nature and decides to work with it rather than disregard our flaws. He knows we are not all good, but acknowledges that there is potential for us to change (Lerner, …show more content…
Machiavelli acknowledges that politicians ruthlessly seek power (Lerner, 1950). They do not care how it will affect the people. This is where a politician’s career crumbles. As noted in The Prince, you cannot rule a populace who hates you. They will overthrow you. Therefore, a prince must unite the people under his rule in order to obtain success. Human nature is the evil that is unconquerable. People will never stop having selfish motives. Therefore, we must learn to coordinate these desires. The Prince must give the people stability, security and prosperity. If he does this, then the people will dare not challenge him. Machiavelli does not provide us with an explanation of basic human nature but rather a framework, which we can use to govern and be governed. Machiavelli wants to improve politics. In the Prince he offers a plan of how to govern and how the people should be governed. He accepts that human nature is flawed. He knows that rulers are power hungry (Lerner, 1950). He also acknowledges that a ruler will not have a populace to rule if the populace hates him. Machiavelli accepts what our politics is, and tells us of what it should be. Just because human nature is flawed, doesn’t mean we are hopeless. Humanity can achieve prosperity, security, and stability if achieved within the right framework. This framework is presented in The
Machiavelli the Realist Machiavelli revolutionized the way the worldviews politics. However, when we read his writings today, the ideas don’t seem very revolutionary. This is because his thoughts came to embody political structure. Machiavelli is known for being the first political philosopher to apply realism to politics. Machiavelli wanted to find a solution to his dark reality. Machiavelli’s The Prince presents us with the reality of the political arena, and provides us with the tools to work with human nature and its shortcomings.
The Prince was written as a guide for Lorenzo de’Medici of Florence to stay in power. However, Lorenzo did not agree with Machiavelli’s assumptions. Machiavelli …show more content…
The Prince gains territory by victory and sets solid foundations for the territory to flourish upon, “One, however, who becomes Prince by favor of the populace, must maintain friendship, which he will find easy, the people asking nothing but not to be oppressed”(Santoni, 1950). Machiavelli believes that a good nation with just laws will develop from an efficient military. He is not arguing that you need a war to create a state, but rather a successful victory can create a solid foundation of the state. Machiavelli understands human nature and decides to work with it rather than disregard our flaws. He knows we are not all good, but acknowledges that there is potential for us to change (Lerner, …show more content…
Machiavelli acknowledges that politicians ruthlessly seek power (Lerner, 1950). They do not care how it will affect the people. This is where a politician’s career crumbles. As noted in The Prince, you cannot rule a populace who hates you. They will overthrow you. Therefore, a prince must unite the people under his rule in order to obtain success. Human nature is the evil that is unconquerable. People will never stop having selfish motives. Therefore, we must learn to coordinate these desires. The Prince must give the people stability, security and prosperity. If he does this, then the people will dare not challenge him. Machiavelli does not provide us with an explanation of basic human nature but rather a framework, which we can use to govern and be governed. Machiavelli wants to improve politics. In the Prince he offers a plan of how to govern and how the people should be governed. He accepts that human nature is flawed. He knows that rulers are power hungry (Lerner, 1950). He also acknowledges that a ruler will not have a populace to rule if the populace hates him. Machiavelli accepts what our politics is, and tells us of what it should be. Just because human nature is flawed, doesn’t mean we are hopeless. Humanity can achieve prosperity, security, and stability if achieved within the right framework. This framework is presented in The