Machiavellianism

Dedicated to the Florentine ruler Lorenzo II de’ Medici, Machiavelli’s Prince is a guidebook on how to acquire power and stabilize your state. Inscribed in a tradition of political advice books , what sets it apart from those that came before him are the radical and obviously wicked guidelines it puts forwards. However, before establishing whether or not The Prince is truly a handbook of wickedness, this term must be elucidated. Wickedness, synonym of evilness, is commonly interpreted as either…

What kind of actions should a virtuoso (skillful) prince take? Well, he avoids using other princes' troops or hiring mercenaries to do his dirty work - such a reliance on outside help makes a prince the helpless victim of fortune. He does not come into power through overt crime, nor does he allow himself to gain a reputation for cruelty - but he is able to use crime and cruelty when he needs to, carefully concealing his guilt. A virtuoso prince will not alienate the people he governs, but he…

Principalities As a result of a judgmental society, individuals are eager to seek praise and validation. Everyone wishes to be liked as well as admired, but sometimes individuals have to make decisions against their moral and ethical judgement. It is through The Prince that Niccolo Machiavelli expresses his political theories and ideology, asserting that in order to be a successful Prince one must be willing to disregard their morals and ultimately use deception to both gain and keep control.…

Maple Chen Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince was written during the 16th century, in opposition to the contemporary ideals of human perfection. Machiavelli had served in the Florentine government as a diplomat and statesman from 1498 to 1512 and wrote The Prince after being exiled from Florence when the French invaded. The book was written to impress ducal ruler Giuliano de Medici, a dominant family in Florence at the time. In The Prince, Machiavelli talks about the need for a strong ruler in…

Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance historian, in the novel “The Prince and Other Writings” states that a prince Must have a balance of how he acts towards his people in order to be a successful leader. First, Machiavelli establishes, that a prince can be generous but must be careful, for too much generosity may lead to disorder. Then the author elucidates that a prince must be feared and loved, but to be feared has a greater benefit because humans will break the bond of love when…

Power is not evil, it is the user that makes it evil. Machiavelli, a controversial figure in political history left a legacy of brutal reality which disturbed many people. Niccolo Machiavelli’s, The Prince explores the groundbreaking ideas for a prince to secure the leading position in government and retain his power and leadership. Human nature combined with power has the possibility of becoming tragically destructive. However, that wreckage stems from the environment, and the actions…

Describe the qualities of Machiavelli’s ideal prince in relation to one contemporary or historical leader. What characteristics should a prince possess, and how should a prince behave and lead his people, and how does this advice from Machiavelli play out in real life with the leader you chose as an example. Is their leadership good for their people? Neighboring countries? The world? Every person has their own individual skills that make us different from each other. This applies even to…

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli Shanti Gurung History 101 Professor Montague 20 November, 2015 After disintegrative patterns of fourteenth century, a remarkable recovery of Europe took place that encompassed a revival of arts and letters in the fifteenth century, and a religious renaissance in the sixteenth century known as the Reformation. Machiavelli argues for the centralization of authority around a single figure through his book ‘The Prince’ which had a great impact in the…

Giles of Rome was born in 1243 and died in the year 1316 at the age of 73. Giles was an influential thinker of his time in the 13th century. He also played a large role in politics between the years 1281 and 1284 in Italy. Through out most of his life he also produced many books and writings. Giles was most popular due to his works, controversial opinions and his role in the Aegidian school. His writings covered primarily the topics of philosophy and theology. In philosophy he wrote a large…

What does it mean to be Machiavellian? This could be defined in a number of ways but to begin I will start out with a simple definition. According to the Oxford English dictionary Machiavellian is defined as: Cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics or in advancing one’s career. Another site (dictionary.com) defines it as being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli 's “The Prince”, in which political expediency is placed above…