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Machiavelli questions whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. He begins by warning princes about being compassionate. Though rulers would rather be viewed more compassionate than cruel, Machiavelli asserts that it is safer to be feared than loved. He uses Borgia as an example to illustrate that cruelty can actually be compassion disguised: “Cesare Borgia was thought of as cruel; but this supposed cruelty of his restored order to the Romagna, united it, rendered it peaceful and law-abiding…much more compassionate than the people of Florence, who…allowed Pistoia to tear itself apart” (536). Machiavelli argues that for the sake of the state and its people, rulers should not be concerned with those who view them as cruel, …show more content…
He supports his argument with the example of Hannibal, who commanded an army made up of men from different nations fighting far from their homes. His soldiers always obeyed while regarding him “admiration and fear” (537). Though Hannibal was very accomplished ruler, Machiavelli argues that without cruelty, Hannibal’s virtu alone would have been insufficient. In contrast, he compares Hannibal to another leader called Scipio, whose army rebelled against him because of his “excessive leniency, which meant his soldiers had more freedom than is compatible with good military discipline” (538). Consequently, he was accused of corrupting the Roman army, criticised for not avenging the death of the inhabitants and for insubordination. Machiavelli concludes that “as far as being feared and loved is concerned, since men decide for themselves whom they love, and rulers must decide whom they fear, a wise ruler should rely on the emotion he can control, not on the one he cannot. But he must take care to avoid being hated, as I have said”
In regards to use the use of mercy and cruelty, Machiavelli states that a ruler should "desire to be held merciful and not cruel", but also "should not care about the infamy of cruelty, because with very few examples he will be more merciful" than those who show too much mercy to their subjects, and not enough cruelty (The Prince, 65). In other words, the ideal Machiavellian ruler must know how to use cruelty and mercy well.
Machiavelli’s advice to a prince who wanted to hold power is that they have to instill fear into the people. He believes fear is important because it restrains men, as they fear being punished. Love will never help you hold power because it attaches people to promises. Machiavelli believes that since humans are wicked, they will break these promises whenever their interests is at stake. Men will devote everything to you if you serve their interests, but as soon as you need help, they turn on you. Therefore, creating fear in them is the perfect strategy. I feel like Machiavelli is being sarcastic and did this to get attention. He knew his way of thinking was different and would get the attention of the people.
Hannibal, the great strategic commander, took the fight to Rome to carry out his vision of independence within the Mediterranean region. He didn’t give up the vision simply because he lacked sufficient resources. Instead, he used the resources he had. Unfortunately, for all his greatness, he had some slips in ethical judgment that will forever stain his reputation as one of the great generals of antiquity. At the beginning of this essay I told a story about the bully and how you stood up to the bully because of your vision to make the neighborhood a better place. What a shame that you ultimately lost your fight because of your inability to remain ethical during the battle.
Niccolo Machiavelli believes in a strong government. The leader should be strong and feared. I believe he gets this idea from the fear of God; no one is supposed to question God because he is so feared, and in the same sense, no one should question a strong leader. Machiavelli realizes that the leader should be feared, but not hated. A hated leader will probably be killed in a rebellion. One also can not be loved. Any compassion towards your citizens will make them believe you are weak, and they will rebel. He thinks a very strong military is necessary at all times, and that powerful arms should be available and in hand. This idea is similar to that of right wing America and our friends, the National Rifle Association, who believe assault rifles are America’s pastime. The nation should always be prepared for war, and should always be searching for new lands to conquer. T...
Some may argue that what Machiavelli is saying that subjects should be cared for, but based on the harsh diction like crush and cripple, when speaking about how to treat the people that pose a threat and due to the repetitive nature these comments, it is evident that Machiavelli advises a ruler not to care for the people, but to manipulate the people to keep the country or community
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
Machiavelli’s views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity, when a state is in need of its citizens, there are few to be found.” In his writings in The Prince, he constantly questioned the citizens’ loyalty and warned for the leaders to be wary in trusting citizens. His radical and distrusting thoughts on human nature were derived out of concern for Italy’s then unstable government. Machiavelli also had a s...
Machiavelli believes that a government should be very structured, controlled, and powerful. He makes it known that the only priorities of a prince are war, the institutions, and discipline. His writings describes how it is more important for a prince to be practical than moral. This is shown where he writes, "in order to maintain the state he is often obliged to act against his promise, against charity, against humanity, and against religion" (47). In addition, Machiavelli argues that a prince may have to be cunning and deceitful in order to maintain political power. He takes the stance that it is better for the prince to be feared than loved. His view of how a government should run and his unethical conduct are both early signs of dictatorship.
Machiavelli includes numerous references to ancient and modern examples of ruling peoples’ behaviors in his treatise. However, he does not simply state factual evidence to support his own claims; Machiavelli turns simplistic historical stories into examples of fine military tactic. Take, for instance, Chapter 8, in which Machiavelli gives his rendition of Agathocles’ coming to power. He states, “At every stage of his career, this man… behaved like a criminal; none the less he accompanied his crimes with so much audacity and physical courage that when he joined the militia he rose through the ranks to become praetor of Syracuse” (Ch. 8, p. 2). Notice, Machiavelli only included two real facts here: Agathocles joined the militia, and became praetor of Syracuse.
even today for his campaign, the hatred Hannibal felt for Rome was clearly seen on the
An outspoken person of his time, Nicolo Machiavelli struck an influential chord on politics. His experience began when he served as an advisor to the Medicis, a wealthy family who had total reign over Tuscany. Over the years, Machiavelli observed the rights and wrongs of ruling, and eventually concluded his opinions when he published his book, The Prince. His writings significantly affected the ruling style of powerful leaders, providing a more secular approach to ruling - a daring suggestion of Machiavelli to make, especially in a society dominated by the Church. In one of his points, Machiavelli endorsed the idea that a ruler shouldn’t be concerned with the needs of his people; rather, he should turn his attention to his own survival. He
The Bible teaches love, compassion and generosity. Niccolo Machiavelli found the Bible’s lessons idealistic and unrealistic for leaders. Machiavelli wrote his book, The Prince, to show the ruling Meddici family that the world is not a fairy tale. Prior to Machiavelli writing The Prince, the majority of books depicted people as virtuous and ethical. However, The Prince is not the only work of literature that manifests Machiavellian techniques. William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar utilizes similar methods. As shown in Julius Caesar and The Prince, a leader who follows Machiavelli’s advice will accomplish their goals; if the leader does not adhere to Machiavelli’s recommendations, then the leader will not fulfill his aspiration.
and when it (danger) comes nearer to you they turn away? (649). Machiavelli reinforces the Prince?s need to be feared by stating: ?? men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared?? (649).
The character I choose to do my clinical diagnosis is Dr. Hannibal Lecter, from the movie The Silences of the Lambs, which is played by Anthony Hopkins. Dr. Hannibal is a psychopath serial killer who uses charm, manipulation, intimidation, and violence to control his victims and others to satisfy his own selfish needs. Because he lacks a conscience and feelings for others, he cold-bloodily takes what he wants and does what he pleases, violating social norms and expectations without the slightest sin of remorse, guilt, or regret. Also Dr. Lecter suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which explains some of his other actions as psychopath serial killer.
According to Niccolo Machiavelli “if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved” (225). Machiavelli was the first philosopher of the Renaissance, and wrote The Prince which argued that leaders must do anything necessary to hold on to power. The main reason it is better to be feared is because men are evil, rotten and will only do things that benefit themselves. Men only think of themselves and it is for this reason fear can control them and keep them loyal to a leader. Since loyalty through love can be easily broken because it involves no punishment, loyalty through fear is the better choice because it involves the “dread of punishment, from which [the subjects] can never escape” (Machiavelli 226). Machiavelli goes on to say that the great leader Hannibal took control of his immense army, because the soldiers saw Hannibal as a fearsome and cruel person, thus, making them loyal to him. Machiavelli in addition gives an example of a leader who chose not to be feared and cruel: “Scipio, an outstanding man not only among those of his own time, but in all recorded history; yet his armies revolted in Spain, for no other reason than his excessive leniency in allowing his soldiers more freedom than military discipline permits”(226). Failure to be cruel and fearsome will cause a leader to lose control of his soldiers, and it will cause the leader’s soldiers to revolt. Hannibal was the better leader; even though he was cruel, he was more merciful in reality than Scipio because he did not allow any disorders to happen.