Ethics in Machiavellis The Prince Essay example - 1498 Words

Ethics in Machiavellis The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and political philosopher. He was employed on diplomatic missions as defence secretary of the Florentine republic, and was tortured when the Medici returned to power in 1512. When he retired from public life he wrote his most famous work, The Prince (1532), which describes the means by which a leader may gain and maintain power. The Prince has had a long and chequered history and the number of controversies that it has generated is indeed surprising. Almost every ideology has tried to appropriate it for itself - as a result everyone from Clement VII to Mussolini has laid claim to it. Yet there were times when it was terribly unpopular. Its†¦show more content†¦Let us get a few fundamental facts clear. Nowhere in The Prince or The Discourses does Machiavelli explicitly make morality or ethics his concern. Nor does he openly eschew it. Only one specific ethical system, the Christian ethic has no place in Machiavelli. That is easily inferred because from the very first pages a system based more on the power of arms than on Christian love is spoken of. Murder is condoned when necessary. Virtue and vice are not seen so much as black and white as interchangeable shades of grey. This does not however exclude the possibility of a separate ethical paradigm which Machiavelli might have thought of for his stat e. This is in accordance with Berlins suggestion of a pagan paradigm [8]. Morality per se, comes in only when The Prince deems it compatible with Necessitas and Fortuna [9].The separate ethical paradigm must therefore be one founded on political necessities. The Prince itself is avowedly political. Its object is the clear and concise statement of a foolproof political program for Italian princes. It begins by clearly classifying the types of principality, how one wins them and how to hold them. There is a very well-informed section on the war tactics prevalent in the peninsula together with Machiavellis own theories for improving these. And there is the unscrupulous advice, which gained the book so much infamy. But The Prince is not unique among Machiavellis books. The Discourses carry on the ideas found in TheShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast Socrates And Machiavelli1419 Words   |  6 Pagesregard to the concept of truth, Socrates would hate Machiavelli’s model prince due to Machiavelli’s manipulative view of truth. While Socrates desired a state that focuses on fundamental truth and ethical decisions, Machiavelli advocated a state led by a pragmatic, logical, and even cruel decision maker. The difference between the two theories is stark, not only would Socrates disagree with Machiavelli’s concept of a prince, he would view the prince with utter disdain due to his disregard for the truthRead MoreMachiavelli And Socrates1713 Words   |  7 PagesMachiavelli, this leader is known as the â€Å"Prince.† He believes that the Prince should be pragmatic in his actions, and act with the good of the state in mind or in other words, he believes in statecraft. He believed that the Prince should be someone with good foresight and does not act without recklessly. The Prince has to be willing to do what is necessary to preserve the state, even if violence is required. 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Ancient texts and artifacts became sources of inspiration for intellectuals and artists alike, and the desire to emulate—or even surpass the achievements of the past prompted them to study antiquities closely and saw them as models and guidance. People were consciously distinguishingRead MoreThe Prince By Niccolo Machiavelli Analysis948 Words   |  4 PagesComposed nearly 500 years ago, Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince presents another perspective on the meaning of virtue. Machiavellis definition contended against the idea presented by the Catholic Church. Machiavelli did not force any opinions of his own, somewhat he composed from his experience and whatever theory that prompts activities which created successful results in the political scene of Italy and different nations. While Machiavelli continues to be scrutinized for his though ts, in allRead MoreSimilarities Between Socrates And Machiavelli1649 Words   |  7 Pagestimes. During times of war and unrest, it was a bold choice that both men made to stand up for their beliefs and speak out against the system. However, Socrates wouldn’t have agreed with Machiavelli’s means and concepts of the Prince and his ideas for how a political establishment should function. Machiavelli’s means may have been justified by his ends, but they completely go against what Socrates stood for in his time. Socrates and Machiavelli seem to have been incredibly different people. SocratesRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1681 Words   |  7 Pagespolitical system might then seem irresponsible, a presumptuous analysis not fitting for an academic recognizing the false equivalence between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and valid analysis is not to wholly ignore the â€Å"political† part of the system but to evaluate the ethics behind the systems. The goal of this essay will be to compare and evaluate the Machiavellian ideological government, through the lens of Socratic philosophy. DespiteRead MoreSocrates Vs Machiavelli Essay875 Words   |  4 Pagespresumptuous analysis not fitting for an academic recognizing the false equivalence between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics. The strategy to conduct any sort of liable and valid analysis is not to wholly ignore the â€Å"political† part of the system but to evaluate the ethics behind the systems. The goal of this essay will be to compare and evaluate the Machiavellian ideologicalRead MoreMachiavelli s Proposal Of The Prince Reflected Italy s Renaissance Era1646 Words   |  7 Pagesgovernments have yet to reach equilibrium of power and wealth. Needless to say, philosophers like Machiavelli and Socrates, who lived in dark times of political turbulence, aimed to find peace within their respective political atmospheres. Machiavelli’s proposal of the pri nce reflected Italy’s Renaissance era and drew upon the idea that a head of power would rule in accordance to certain beliefs and guidelines that would establish a government in which greater good of the people would be prioritized. MeanwhileRead MoreAnalysis Of Niccol Machiavellis The Prince931 Words   |  4 PagesThe extract is from Niccolà ² Machiavelli’s The Prince, a 16th-century political treatise that acts as an extended analysis, instructing a ruler on how to acquire and maintain political power. Presumably drafted in 1513, Machiavelli was a known humanist scholar, working as a diplomat in Florence. Upon the time of its publication, Machiavelli had been recently released from imprisonment, his writings therefore may have had an agenda of regaining favour from the ruling Medici family, or was a means of