Niccolò Machiavelli

Her origin is death angst, the anxiety that occurs in vital destruction. (Kronfeld 1935, 378) Angst can not be reduced to a merely objectless form of fear, Glas continues (p. 46-48), for it implies that objectless emotions would be accepted in the domain of the intentionality. The self is, in the words of Kierkegaard, a relating to itself. This relating to itself, that constitutes the selfness, and gives the definition of the person meaning, exists in “that it relates to itself, because it…

As Niccolò Machiavelli once wrote, “the ends justifies the means”. This phrase means that methods that might considered immoral are acceptable provided the end results in a positive outcome that is far more significant than the means. For instance, should society’s conventions dictate a human life to be worth more than a tree, it would henceforth be morally acceptable for a human to chop down the aforementioned tree to lodging for the winter. Thus, the end, which is the survival of a human life,…

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…

During that time period, consequences for certain things were very crucial. Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Prince, knew this already. In his book he wrote, “Men have less hesitation in offending a man who is loved than one who is feared”. What he is trying to say is that if people are afraid of you, they have more hesitation into trying…

In the past many philosophers have claim to the idea that there is an undeniable conflict between self-love and benevolence. Some, such as Thomas Hobbes and Niccolo Machiavelli have argued that time devoted to either self-love or benevolence is time drawn away from the other. For instance, they argue that time devoted to benevolence is the same as taking upon an injury to oneself to love thy neighbor. They argue that the opposite is also true. Their ideas are not without opposition however, and…

outcome. For example, I believe that it is not possible for war to ever create peace; that is to say, an act that is bad or evil cannot promote good as violence can only breed violence. Niccolo Machiavelli coined the term “the ends justifies the means no matter the cruel means to achieve them” (Hefele, 1933). Machiavelli also believed that people are generally bad and are only good out of necessity. However, I believe that most people have a desire to be good and ethical and that unethical…

The Renaissance is seen by many people as one of the greatest time periods for the human race. From 1350-1550, people believed that they were witnessing the rebirth of Greco-Roman civilization. It was a new age, and renaissance quite literally translates to “rebirth”. This was clearly in order after the Middle Ages (the time period after the Roman Empire fell), which was a “dark age” in many ways. The place associated most with the Renaissance is Italy. The 14th and 15th century in Italy are…

Kinship ch 8 Chapter eight analyzes the fulfillment and transformation of the Davidic Covenant in Luke-Acts. Davidic themes in Luke are examined from the infancy narratives through the preaching in Acts. Attention is given to the institution narrative, in which Jesus shares His authority with the Apostles. This is solidified through the restoration of the Apostolic college and the sending of the Holy Spirit. With this authority they rule, through service, in remembrance of the paschal mystery,…

left an indelible mark on society, which begs the question, what constitutes a good leader? Throughout the ages, opinions on the value of different leaders have varied. While the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, emphasized positive moral change, Niccolo Machiavelli prioritized notoriety in a leader. The value of a leader is subject to change under different contexts. A children’s soccer coach employing the methods of Napoleon Bonaparte to strengthen the team would not be exulted as Napoleon was.…

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…