Good And Virtuous Men In Machiavelli's The Prince

Often political theorists discuss their ideal form of government, and the conditions and regulations under which they believe people as a whole can most likely thrive and succeed. They outline what institutions should be used, how they should operate, and even who should operate them for the common good or advantage. However, I have noted that often political theorists leave no place within their ideal governments for good and virtuous men—sometimes they even explicitly write that good men are not necessarily the ideal participants within the body politic, whether as citizens or leaders. This paper will focus on Plato’s Apology of Socrates’, Aristotle’s Politics, and also refer to Machiavelli’s The Prince in order to explore the behaviors and …show more content…
Then I shall move on to discuss the purpose of government and the state as proposed by these theorists, and question how the purposes set out do not align with the exclusion of good and virtuous men from the body politic as non-ideal participants. The paper will examine how such writers can advocate a common good or advantage, and a state that exists as ideal when the behaviors and attitudes of their recommended participants are not necessarily honest or virtuous. To conclude, I will argue that the incorporation of good, virtuous citizens exists as vital when trying to theorize about an ideal state that has the goal of pursuing a common good or …show more content…
A state should not create such an environment that people fear voicing their thoughts and ideas—a state like this becomes tyrannical, and some may argue gives such citizens a reason to rebel against it. If a state simply tries to shape citizens into “good” citizens who obey the state and leadership and do not question the institutions and actions of the state, it has not succeeded in becoming a good state. It may exist as an extremely efficient state, but efficiency does not amount to goodness—a good or just state should strive to serve its citizens, and include them in the body politic even if they do not share the opinions of the multitude. This does not mean the good state must take action and change its policies every time a citizen voices a new opinion or concern, but it should create an environment where citizens can comfortably voice their beliefs and views without fear of their own self-preservation. Without open forums of communication, a state cannot possibly exercise the will of the people and ensure that it reflects the desires and needs of its citizens. This also leads back to the idea that virtuous citizens should play a strong role in the ideal state—virtuous citizens would consider not only their own ideas, but also the needs and ideas of others, and the good of society in