Leo Strauss

state, the republic that Machiavelli advocates for in the Discourses will become achievable and desirable. The Prince was written to establish a unified state; the republic in the Discourses will maintain that stable and unified state. Academic Leo Strauss explains that Machiavelli wrote the Discourses to promote the imitation of ancient republics. Machiavelli longed for the rebirth of ancient republicanism . The Discourses also presents a perspective on both republics and principalities. As an…

mid 1900’s. It is about a man that is 37 years old named Charlie, who has difficulty writing and reading, and anything that requires a fair amount of intelligence overall. After hearing about his fairly low IQ, two doctors named Dr. Nemur, and Dr. Strauss put Charlie through some tests and found him as the “perfect candidate” for their experiment. Their experiment would change Charlies’s life forever, (if it worked) by tripling his overall IQ. After receiving the…

Machiavelli. Despite the pro mentioned above, some people like Manfred J. Holler and Leo Strauss are in contra with Machiavelli thoughts. Manfred J. Holler (Holler, 2009) argue that “the handbook is meant to be a tool to develop power which is a necessary prerequisite for peace and order”. In which he indirectly agrees that “the prince” can use all means even cruelty to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, Leo Strauss doubted whether The Prince doctrine is still valid or not for modern…

Demagoguery and its usage How do modern politicians use demagoguery in order to manipulate their constituency? Signer, Michael. Demagogue: The Fight to Save Democracy from Its Worst Enemies. New York City, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009. Print. Michael Signer’s critical analysis of past demagogues such as Huey Long, Hugo Chavez, and Moqtada al-Sadr in his book, Demagogue helped give me a large insight in the mechanics of demagoguery as well as the power-corrupted…

“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.” This is my favorite excerpt from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli. I believe it represents everything Machiavelli believed in as a political leader. He truly believed that a ruler should be feared by the people. Niccolò Machiavelli was an important figure during the Renaissance Era in Italy. One of his books, The Prince, which is also known as a political treatise,…

Have you ever wondered that the definitions of morality, ethics, values and virtues are made by men and not by ‘gods’? These are created in order to put a barrier from conflicting interests. That is why, according to Hegel, rules and laws are considered to be a compromise among the differences of men. Although, how can laws of men be seen as “good” when past (some at present) practices of the primitive societies, do not seem ethical right in the twenty-first century. Roman nobility treated…

Introduction Gerard Guthrie states, “definition is a common problem in research.” Additionally, he simply states, “Ethics are standards of professional behavior.” Meanwhile, Merriam-Webster defines ethics as: “a set of moral principles, a theory or system of moral values, the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group, a guiding philosophy, or a consciousness of moral importance.” With such a contrast in definitions, from the simple to the complex, it is easy to see why this is…

The terms liberal and conservative are tossed around in everyday political discussion so much that the original theoretical and the actual meanings of these words is often either misunderstood or forgotten. These words and their association with modern political party relations must be set aside in order to examine these theoretical ideas and how they connect and apply to real world political in practice. Many of the ideas which Americans are familiar with as treasured characteristics of the…

Socratic irony has puzzled philosophical inquirers ever since the publication of Plato’s dialogues. Unlike the writings of Aristotle or Epicurus, the dramatic nature of Plato’s dialogues leaves some uncertainty as to whether Socrates truly means what he says. Even the most casual reader cannot help but smile while Socrates admires the knowledge of a seemingly unintelligent interlocutor. For the purposes of this essay, irony is defined as when a character says or acts knowingly in a way that is…

explores Shklar’s work by creating the “Shklarian Model” which is simply split between what is best for a man and what is best for a citizen as being distinct ideals (172). Mendham further elaborates on this argument by explaining the position of Leo Strauss, who argued that Rousseau’s political solution “ought to be read as merely intended for modern consumption” since it is impossible for humans to ever truly return to the ideal solitude and naturalness of the original state of human nature…