Lucrezia Borgia

Parenting is not a popularity contest, and for good reason. Many times what is best for a child, or for the family unit, is not enjoyable or even comfortable – but for the ultimate good, it must be done. Ruling a nation is not so far removed, in fact they are much the same when it comes to fostering goodness and contentment. It is impossible to please everyone, and any attempt at achieving such widespread approval oftentimes loses the respect of all. Yet, if not a popularity contest the…

Machiavelli is a man of many labels, but perhaps the most accurate is that he was a main of calculation. For all the talk of evil, cruelty and virtues, he could really be seen as the father of the cost-benefit analysis. In that same light, Machiavelli’s virtù and traditional virtues should not be seen as at odds, but rather as tools that work in tandem. To view them as wholly incompatible by nature is a narrow view at best, and woefully idealistic at worst. Indeed, they appear incompatible only…

The question of whether it is better that you feared or loved is very interesting and many people have their own opinions on this matter. One of the people who analyzed this question was Niccolo Machiavelli – one of the most famous Italian thinkers and political leaders of the Renaissance period. When the Medici family gained power in Florence, during the Italian Renaissance, Machiavelli, who was back then a civil servant in the Florentine Republic - was accused of conspiracy and imprisoned. To…

The Impact of Machiavelli’s The Prince on Modern Day Politics Over the course of the last five centuries, Niccolo Machiavelli has been considered by many scholars as one of the most controversial historical figures of the Renaissance period. As a keen observer of the Italian oligarchy, he saw that the “Italian city-states were ruled by men whose authority rested solely on their cunning and effective use of force, which was witnessed as a new phenomenon” (Perry, 186). Additionally, Machiavelli…

Machiavelli, in The Prince, claims that “it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one has to lack one of the two.” Trump chose fear, but he disregarded being loved as a component. The fear was accompanied with hate, leading to an unsuccessful attempt of Machiavelli’s thought within his current presidency. Machiavelli believed that “since men love at their convenience and fear at the convenience of the prince, a wise prince should found himself on what is his.” The people will not rise up…

The Renaissance It is incredibly hard to wrap my head around how a time period, so long ago, can have such a substantial impact on humanity today. The impact of historical events has forever stamped their significance in everyday life in the present. With all of the technology and devices we use in this ever-changing society today, some things, however, manage to remain the same. Renaissance, meaning “rebirth” or “revival”, describes exactly what happened in Italy during the 14th century and…

The Renaissance era and the Middle Ages are two periods in time that are extremely vital to European history. Contrary to popular belief, these periods are remarkably unalike in comparison. The Middle Ages, sometimes known as the medieval period, was a time in European history that began in the fifth century and lasted until the fifteenth century. The Renaissance era was a period that expanded from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. This era originated in Italy at the end of the Middle…

Abdul Rahman Zindani Dr. Rigoni Paper #3 The Views of the Samurai and Machiavelli on Ruling In the late twelfth century, Japan saw the fall of the emperor’s power and the rise of the shogun as the new leader of the feudal system. At the time, the Japanese samurai were part of a disciplined hierarchical structure where many clans served under another for multiple generations. Many of the samurai writings, such as Opinions in Ninety-Nine Articles and The Regulations of Imawa Ryoshun, were focused…

Machiavelli – asses machiavelli’s claim that it is better for a prince to be feared than loved. Is such a dictum useful in democratic politics? The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, offers many different ideas about how to gain and maintain political Power. One of the main stigmas within the entire text is that, as a leader, it Is better to be feared then loved. As with majority of Machiavelli’s dictums this particular point is still incredibly relevant and useful in democratic politics.…

The Prince 1.) Machiavelli wrote The Prince because he wanted to win the favor of Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici by dedicating him the book. He also just wanted to give general advice on leadership and power, as well as draw attention to his belief that a prince should be more successful over being good and honest. 2.) The major themes of The Prince are Love vs Fear; a prince should be loved to stay in power, but his people should also have a sense of fear from him so they obey him. Power;…