Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman, political theorist, and advisor. He is most well known for his work The Prince which tells how Machiavelli believed princes or rulers should govern most effectively. His views in The Prince have been described as immoral and cynical of governing.
Early Life
Born into a wealthy and influential family in Florence, Machiavelli was a very studious youth and believed to have attended the University of Florence. At 29 He was appointed as second chancery, a political position in Florence. Here he took diplomatic missions to France and created a Florentine militia. In 1512 the Florentine government was overthrown by the Medici family, Machiavelli was arrested, tortured, then sent into exile.
Political Theory
Machiavelli believed those in power should make decisions based on how the world actually is, as compared to how people feel the world should be. He states in The Prince “Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.” He valued effectiveness over morality and felt that any leader should do the same when in a position of power the focus of the leader is to defend and enrich his “flock”. He thought that if a leader were to follow Christian morality they would be weak and ineffective. Beliefs such as this caused his works to be banned by the Catholic church for over 200 years! The question comes up if it is better to be loved or feared, Machiavelli believed it is better to be feared than loved. A leader needs to be strict and reasonable, feared but not hated. Machiavelli’s idea was that a ruler, or prince, needed to elevate himself above morality for the good of the state. He believed that violence was necessary and should be done swiftly and only when needed. One main trait a prince should have, according to Machiavelli, was virtu. Virtu meant that a leader needed to be strong, self-reliant, strategic, ruthless, and above all knowing when to choose moral and when to choose vice.
Quiz
1. What political position did Machiavelli hold?
2. What did Machiavelli believe about Christian morality?
3. What is Virtu?
Discussion
1. If you were in a position of power do you think it would be more effective to rule by fear or with love from your subjects?
2. Do you believe that “the ends justify the means?” is there ever a good reason to lie, cheat, or steal?
DQ If you were in a position of power do you think it would be more effective to rule by fear or with love from your subjects?
ReplyDeletei would have to say probably a mix of both i feel like you would probably get a little further with ruling with fear but that could cause a lot of people to not really like you which would probably lead to some bad event. were if you were to rule by love you would probably be more respected by that would most likely make you more of a push over
Section 12
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question #1-1. If you were in a position of power do you think it would be more effective to rule by fear or with love from your subjects?
If I had the chance to become a position of power you would need both to reach many spectrum of your kingdom, because most people do not like being on pin and needles all the time and some just need some encouragement to keep going. I understanding having fear in the people would make things move faster but having love to balance it out makes you a more worthy leader, and people respect you more.
Section 12
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question #2- Do you believe that “the ends justify the means?” is there ever a good reason to lie, cheat, or steal?
In my opinion, There is not a good reason to lie,cheat or steal because it tends to always come back on you, then you would have to continue lying to keep that going. And having to go through so many motions when you could have just told the truth, whether it be good or bad because,"truth hurts," and some cannot take it but without it everyone is always on edge not knowing what to lie about next to save themselves.
sec.11
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post and I feel like I learned a lot from it. I also think the video helped a lot.
Section 11
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question 1: If you were in a position of power do you think it would be more effective to rule by fear or with love from your subjects?
I agree with Diamond and Michael above! I believe that one in power must rule with both fear and love and If I was ruler I would try to rule this way. However, I also believe that it is very difficult to do both. From experience, being the cool manager that is friends with everyone is hard because sometimes it is hard to get on to someone or talk to them about behavior. Things that you need the fear factor for are hard to do.
Section 13
ReplyDeleteDiscussion Question 2: Do you believe that “the ends justify the means?” is there ever a good reason to lie, cheat, or steal?
I do believe in this concept wholeheartedly. Too often we see people that a reasonable person would label "bad" or "corrupt," but notice that they are doing very well financially and leading an overall successful life. It can seem so obvious at times that these are not the type of people you willingly invite over to dinner and let be around your family or friends. So what is it about these people that makes them end up at the top of the pack in life somehow? The simple answer in my estimation is "They just get it." By this I mean they get how life works. They understand (or believe) that morality can be subjective many times and that anything can be twisted for the perceptual good of the people or circumstance if the right words are used. This has been around since the dawn of time and only people who truly accept this truth will reap the benefits. Check out the link to a really enlightening book on this very subject.
https://www.amazon.com/HighBridge-Division-of-Recorded-Books/dp/B00X0TKUS0/ref=sr_1_1?crid=DP3A9ZJSW8ZB&keywords=48+laws+of+power&qid=1575594852&sprefix=48%2Caps%2C157&sr=8-1
Effectiveness vs. morality, posed as a mutually exclusive either/or, strikes me as a false dilemma. Let's aim for both, and demand both from our leaders. "Elevate himself above morality" - that sounds like the conceit of a certain chief executive who thinks himself above the law. As for violence being necessary, that may have been so in the ruthless political culture of Machiavelli's Italy; but we should again insist on a higher standard. I can't believe anyone who values democracy and honesty can really "wholeheartedly" endorse the idea of granting our "princes" discretion to decide when they'll be moral and when not. And I can't understand the appeal of Machiavelli to so many younger people. His is a "state of nature/war of all against all" Hobbesian philosophy imported into what is supposed to be civil society. We can do better. We'd better do better.
ReplyDelete