Niccolò Paganini

The Prince, by Niccolo Machiavelli, is a political treatise/non-fiction book written as a guide for how to be an effective ruler. Machiavelli intends to guide rulers on how to seize a country and how to destroy an enemy. He writes about rulers of his time and the things they did well and did not do so well. His purpose was to right a book to advise the aristocracy in what they should do to rule effectively so government would be run in the way his mind pictured it. He told the world the truth…

Daniel N. Ortega Bus 100W Section 29 December 14, 2014 Electronic Arts and the Machiavellian Principles Niccolo Machiavelli had a tragic life. Machiavelli was born in 1469 during the Medici family’s control of Italy. Machiavelli was initially employed as a man of letters by the state, and later became Second Chancellor and diplomat for 14 years. However, in 1512, Machiavelli was forced out of politics. He was charged with conspiracy against the rulers of the time, and was imprisoned and…

Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince and Thomas More’s Utopia were written during a relatively similar time period in the early 1500s. Therefore, both Machiavelli and More’s main character, Raphael Hythloday, both have a lot of the same perspectives on human nature. They discuss the behavioral nature of kings as well as everyday people and outline the ways they conduct themselves. Essentially, both Machiavelli and Hythloday share the same views on human nature, mainly focusing on the fact that…

Government There are different communities and groups all around the world. Each one of these groups need a leader. Not every leader will lead the same way and there are different ideas about how communities should be governed and structured. Lao Tzu and Niccoló Machiavelli were two people that had their own idea of how a government should be ran. Tzu was a taoist and followed the Tao Te Ching. Machiavelli on the other hand, followed his book, The Prince. Both men believe that they know the…

Machiavelli’s The Prince, and Sir Thomas More’s Utopia are seminal political treatise that examine in great detail the nature of virtue in humanity. While the concept of virtue and politics in both texts are crucial to both works, the way in which they are treated by the respective authors is divergent and in some circumstances completely polarised. Consideration of the environmental factors and historical influences surrounding both texts gives insight into the variation of virtue in the texts.…

In Machiavelli's The Prince, Machiavelli instructs people wanting to gain political power should be more concerned with what is politically effective rather than what is morally right. Machiavelli encourages readers to do whatever is necessary to gain and keep power. While Machiavelli's methods seem harsh and extreme and I personally don't believe that they are ethically right, I believe they would allow a ruler to accomplish his goals of obtaining power. During the Renaissance when…

History is usually suggested as a continuum of similar events that occur repetitively. Machiavelli’s quote, “Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past, for human events ever resemble those of the preceding times”, is exemplified by events in history and issues that still exist. There are multiple historic occurrences that can attest to Machiavelli’s thinking, specifically three will be discussed, each within a different spectrum. In order to attest to Machiavelli’s thinking, a…

“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” A quote commonly used, written by the famous Niccolò Machiavelli, but what does it mean, and why is he famous for it ? Born Niccolò Machiavelli in 1469, to an attorney, Bernardo di Niccolò Machiavelli and his wife Bartholomea di Stefano Nelli who also had 3 other children two daughters and a son. Since Machiavelli’s father was a lawyer, he received a formal education, and later gained a job as secretary for the city of Florence He…

Recently, we attended a lecture where distinguished professor of history emeritus, William Cook (SUNY Geneseo) made the case for exalting, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527). Since the publication of his political treatise, The Prince in 1532, Machiavelli’s name has become synonymous with unprincipled, deceptive, and tyrannical tactics. In his lecture ‘Machiavelli on Republican Virtue,’ Dr. Cook argues that The Prince is grossly misinterpreted, deemed an apology for tyranny, critics have gone…

Why was Machiavelli’s book The Prince so controversial? The prince is an analytical ‘handbook’ written by political philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli. Within the book, Machiavelli offers advice to new princes regarding the way in which they can gain and maintain power in a state. However, since its publication in 1532, the book has been dubbed controversial due to the ideas it shared and was even banned by the Roman Catholic Church in 1559, raising the question, why was Machiavelli’s book ‘The…