"The state is the highest achievement of man‚ a progressive and elaborate creation of his free will. The individual‚ the leader‚ the people‚ cooperate in maintaining it." This idea of state was put forth by Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince‚ which was in essence a ruler’s handbook to governing and maintaining his land. Machiavelli conjured his theories for government by basing his ideas in his belief that men‚ especially men in power‚ tend to follow the same directions‚ and therefore by looking
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(Thucydides 1954‚ 68). Thucydides explains that ground rules were set for going into war (Thucydides 1954‚ 68). In this case‚ if war is waged‚ it is as a reaction (Thucydides 1954‚ 68). It gives a rational understanding of why war is raged between the two parties. War occurs if one party harms another party‚ and people have voiced their concerns about the situation‚ requesting for war as kind of like a solution‚ after an understanding (Thucydides 1954‚ 69). Thucydides presents that this will yield positive
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enlighten himself through experiencing the same drab day he dreads the most. So this begs the question‚ can Phil Connors‚ the ego-centric weatherman from Pittsburgh‚ teach himself to virtuous‚ and intern receive some positive purpose in life? In Machiavelli’s The Prince he states “A Prince (Phil) should not necessarily avoid vices such as cruelty or dishonesty if employing them will benefit the state. Cruelty and other vices should not be pursued for their own sake‚ just as virtue should not be pursued
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the presidency caused by the Watergate scandal in 1972. Machiavellian thinking would help explain why Nixon considered illegal wiretapping and other unlawful activities to be acceptable in order to help him obtain his goal of re-election. Machiavelli’s fondness for dishonesty is also evident in his belief that a prince should say he will do one thing in order to make his people happy‚ and then do something entirely
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"And if all men were good‚ this teaching would not be good; but because they are wicked and do not observe faith with you‚ you also do not have to observe it with them" (69). Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince is arguably the most famous and controversial political science book of all time. Many think of Machiavelli as synonymous with evil. The father of the idea that the ends will always justify the means‚ the term Machiavellian has become connected with selfish‚ brutal‚ or immoral actions. Machiavelli
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exemplifies Machiavelli’s points in The Prince. Positions of power take on a great responsibility. With that‚ comes an inevitable two face. Two face in terms of appearing as one person‚ but being hypocritical. Much like Machiavelli’s quote‚ “So it follows that a prudent ruler cannot‚ and must not‚ honor his word when it places him at a disadvantage…”‚ societies leaders must take
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1. Do you agree with Machiavelli’s premise that if given the choice between the two‚ the prince is better served by being feared than loved? How does Machiavelli make the case for his position (details‚ modes)? Are his arguments convincing? If you took the self-analysis on high-Mach or low-Mach‚ what were the results‚ and were you surprised by your score? 2. What is the thesis of Neil Postman’s forward? Do you agree or disagree with his point of view? Provide support for your position. 1- The
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several aspects of Europe’s government. Due to his critical writings in The Prince‚ many historians see Machiavelli as a cruel and diabolical political figure whose true intentions were to gain power for himself. However‚ after looking further into Machiavelli’s political past‚ one can see that Machiavelli is in fact an intelligent man who possesses a hidden motive to write his novel. In his work‚ he covered several topics that were used by future city-state leaders to help them become successful. Machiavelli
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Niccolo Machiavelli‚ whom name became a synonym for crafty plotting. As noted‚ it is a political and social document‚ as relevant today as when it first appeared. Machiavelli’s work became thought of as a blueprint for dictators instead of a guide for efficient democratic government. The Prince does not give us all of Machiavelli’s political thinking; however‚ he devised this reading for the man who seeks power. It treated the most severe problem of Italy‚ its inferiority in political organization
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Machiavelli’s The Prince was written as a response to the disunity of the Italian state system. The Prince can be read as a satire of the corruption of the Papacy in order to reveal all of the problems of the ruling class. Concurrently‚ The Prince can also be read as an earnest attempt to help reunify Italy under the Medici family of Florence. Considering the circumstances‚ The Prince should be read as a satire just for the underlying reason of why it was written. Machiavelli had a hidden agenda;
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