The purpose of life changed to aggrandizement in Europe from 1450-1648, and leading a life with religious purpose continued as the purpose of life. Aggrandizement, placing the focus of authority on building or maintaining political power, changed to become the purpose of life in Europe from 1450-1648. Leading a life of religious purpose in Europe, living life by religious beliefs for the purpose of reaching salvation, continued as a purpose of life in Europe from 1450-1648. Aggrandizement,…
The Renaissance The age of European Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration is significant because it was an age of rebirth for the arts and learning, an era of change in religion, and a time of exploration and expansion. The arts were reemphasized with the techniques of Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Brunelleschi, and humanism brought about a newly refined focus on learning. Europe expanded its trade routes, and gained partners for growing capitalism during…
Absolutism flourished in European countries during the 1600s and 1700s. This principle called for a monarchy with complete sovereignty. Complete sovereignty allowed the king or queen to make laws, tax, administer justice, control the state’s administrative system, and determine foreign policy. The Church supported absolutism with the theory of divine right, arguing that God specifically chose the monarch to rule. Compared to a limited government, absolutism provided a far superior regime. Thus,…
Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, once wrote, “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are”. Machiavelli, one whose name is synonymous with manipulation and trickery, argues that an individual should do whatever he/she deems necessary to keep power. During his time, his policies shocked the world; however, upon further examination, Machiavelli simply states a trait of human nature. The idea of deceitful autocratic rule has been present in the form of hierarchies…
Machiavelli’s notion of brutality, violence, cruelty and irrationalism as they pertain to the prince is in consonance with the idea of Nietzsche’s master morality. The urge for power takes precedence in both views. That is the reason they advocate for a morality where power can be fully expressed. In order to still be in office or power, the ruler in Machiavelli’s The Prince should use any means ‘as the end justifies the means’ to shield the most ignored morality and all its traditional…
The greatest leader ever is one who knows when to follow and when to lead (An opinion of the greatest leader ever using Meditations, Republic, and Prince) Leaders are an interesting group of individuals, they can get people to follow them and yet have no clue as to what they will have their followers do for them. Some leaders rule nations others rule gangs; either way they are able to do something that most cannot do and that is to turn people’s hopes and dreams into words of lucrative promises…
Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” This quotes rings true in light of all broad aspects of humanity, but upon viewing the Renaissance, one can see a very direct correlation, especially in looking at the concept of humanism of which the root was a drive to go to the source of information. However despite this newfound rush to a source, there were a flowering handful of ideas and discoveries…
From the crumbling walls of the ancient authority of Rome, two new powers, the Church and western leaders, established their hold on the medieval world. Ushering in an age of population boom, business, and an interest in antiquity, the Church and fledgling powers of the west struggled to find their footing in society. Some cities, such as Rome, survived the change by adapting, and others faded into nothing more than a memory. Cities, empires, and the Church all played a pivotal roles in the…
Don’t Deceive Growing up, we have all heard the children’s fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” I am sure we all remember that in the story, the wolf swallowed grandma whole. He then deceived Little Red Riding Hood into thinking he was her grandma by taking her place. Of course, this was just a children’s fairy tale. Unfortunately, deceiving is not, and it occurs way more often than we would like. In this essay, I will explore the different reasons behind why people try to keep the moral rule…
a lot easier to lose than fear because you could do one cruel thing and you lose peoples affection but fear is one of the hardest things to overcome. He did mention that one way to lose fear was to not keep promises that you made. Despite that, Machiavelli is not like Plato, imagining a perfect society, he is going off of what he has seen from humans during his lifetime and he knows that many people are interested in their own wellbeing and when it is convenient for them, which when you think…