To Machiavelli, appearances and reality both change. Yet, Machiavelli’s argument in The Prince differs from Montaigne in that he believes rulers should learn how to manipulate whereas Montaigne respects each person’s right to individuality. The reasoning Machiavelli pushes toward is the kind that centers around militant morality. The main difference between these two authors is that one discusses the logic of ruling civilization while the other thinks about how to live as an individual. Although the morals in The Prince are somewhat controversial, Machiavelli is able to realize that change is essential for a society to grow, and this reasoning especially echoes Rabelais who greatly favored transformation. Machiavelli warns that “if time and circumstances change he will be ruined because he does not change his policy” (Machiavelli, 81). Machiavelli discusses reasoning in terms of governance and so this type of logic is limited by its applicability to only one aspect of society; it is not logic for the general public. By leaving out the importance of individual reasoning, Machiavelli might be pointing out a distrust of people’s ability to reason in comparison to
To Machiavelli, appearances and reality both change. Yet, Machiavelli’s argument in The Prince differs from Montaigne in that he believes rulers should learn how to manipulate whereas Montaigne respects each person’s right to individuality. The reasoning Machiavelli pushes toward is the kind that centers around militant morality. The main difference between these two authors is that one discusses the logic of ruling civilization while the other thinks about how to live as an individual. Although the morals in The Prince are somewhat controversial, Machiavelli is able to realize that change is essential for a society to grow, and this reasoning especially echoes Rabelais who greatly favored transformation. Machiavelli warns that “if time and circumstances change he will be ruined because he does not change his policy” (Machiavelli, 81). Machiavelli discusses reasoning in terms of governance and so this type of logic is limited by its applicability to only one aspect of society; it is not logic for the general public. By leaving out the importance of individual reasoning, Machiavelli might be pointing out a distrust of people’s ability to reason in comparison to