Machiavellianism

The current 2016 presidential election season is one that has been marked by controversy and unconventional politics. Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, is not a politician, nor has he used the traditional practices of politicians during his campaign. Trump’s unlikely road to the Republican nomination has been questioned by common folk and political analysts alike. Some call Trump “insane,” some call him “brilliant,” but among the words tossed around to describe Trump, “Machiavellian” comes…

Niccilò Machiavelli’s political philosophy writing, The Prince, is a piece of writing that intends to teach an upcoming prince an approach of ruling that can guarantee a lasting period of power. Machiavelli states that the number one characteristic that a prince must posse that of virtue. Machiavelli defined virtue as a way that a prince acquires power over a dominion, and later goes on to add to the define by stating that “it is necessary for a prince if he wishes to maintain himself, to learn…

Machiavelli in The Prince is primarily a practical observer and diplomat analyst prescribing numerous ethical and political instructions to Cesar Borgia for pyramidical maintenance, sustenance and enhancement of political power at various stages of capturing, nurturing, preserving and augmenting power and absolute power for the prince. Hobbes’s aim in his Leviathan is similar to that of Machiavelli’s The Prince. Both are equally concerned for bringing about order out of chaotic civil war like…

I would choose Niccoló Machiavelli to be the other student in my tutorial, Political Science: The Methods of Ruling. Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, who is best known for his work, The Prince. In this handbook, he argues that a prince or political figure needs to be cunning and ruthless in order to maintain his power. He also claims that it is better for a prince to be feared than loved by his people. Morally, I disagree with these assertions and a plethora of other principles that he…

The Renaissance is more modern because of its logic and philosophical wisdom. As I learned about the Renaissance I would’ve thought of it being more classical. However, as I started to read more into it I realized how modern it was. Articles I have read talk about Concerns of Art of War, Prince’s, and how it’s better to be loved than fear. The Art of War talks about a Prince concerned about using harsh tactics to get his way. “The Prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select…

In Machiavelli’s book “The Prince” he discusses methods to achieve a powerful position for those seeking power and how to maintain it, as well as getting people to submit to their authority. According to Machiavelli, a Prince must heed his book’s teachings and present themselves as a man who should be either feared or loved by the citizens of his kingdom with no exceptions if he wishes to rule with no constraints. But what steps must a prince take to be feared or loved and reign successfully? Or…

Free will, is a thing we all have and use. Machiavelli sometimes used the words “fortune” and “Virtue” to talk about two different ways a prince can come to power. “Virtue” refers to a person's actions or skill, while “fortune” talks about chance or luck.The Prince determines how much of a prince’s successfulness or tragedies are caused by his own free will and how much is chosen by nature or the environment in which he lives. Machiavelli applies this question specifically to the failure of past…

In The Prince, Machiavelli writes on how a prince is to take power and how to maintain his position (Ryan, 2012, p.364). The concept of virtù is introduced, as an essential component that a prince must possess. It could be translated as the ability, quality or determination that secures political success (Ryan, 2012, p.375). Machiavelli finds an example of a virtuous prince in Cesare Borgia, described as a skillful leader who was only defeated by the negative effects of fortuna (Ryan, 2012,…

Victor Hugo says in Les Miserables, "Machiavelli is not an evil genius, nor a demon, nor a cowardly and miserable writer; he is nothing but the fact…" making it clear that contrary to the dominant belief he sees Machiavelli to just be the narrator of thing around him. Machiavelli’s, book the prince has been the centre of debate since the time it was written owing to its insight in the matters involving virtu, morality, fortuna, freewill, authority to exercise power and power itself. It is…

A tragic hero is a character within a literary work that possesses a tragic flaw that will ultimately incur the downfall of the character, regardless of the character’s good intentions. Macbeth, from Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth, is, without a doubt, one of the most prevalent tragic heroes throughout all works of literature. Macbeth is a tragic hero as he possesses noble stature, a tragic flaw, free choice, an increased awareness of his downfall, and a punishment that exceeds his crimes, all…