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Aristotle's influence on
Aristotle's influence on society
Aristotle impact on society
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Impact of the Writers of Antiquity on Modern Times History is riddled with the names of various intellectuals and descriptions of their theories. Born of brilliant men like Marx and Machiavelli, to name a few, these theories are preserved in books, illustrated in day-to-day domestic and international affairs, and immortalized in modern theories and documents. They are the predecessors of present theories that have been reinterpreted for a different era and reapplied in a new context. In his most famous work, The Prince, Niccoló Machiavelli discusses the ways in which to not only attain, but also retain, political power. His works deal heavily with methods for creating and maintaining a defensive state—one that is capable of withstanding attack—and the ways in which a ruler can rule. According to Machiavelli, a ruler may violate the moral norm—throw away the ethical rulebook, so to speak—so long as it benefits his state. These theories still resound in many modern policies. Cruel birth control practices, like those of Indira Gandhi in the 1970’s and those of China much more...
In an earlier century, Niccoló Machiavelli, wrote a document called, “The Prince.” This book was about what it takes to be a successful ruler, and the number one rule of course was: “Power is Everything.” How you acquire the power made no difference as long as you had it. Many people repulsed Machiavelli’s idea of power at all costs, but it would soon be the basis of the government in some countries.
The validity of Marxist political theory has been seriously challenged by the realities of European civilization, both during the inter-war years and especially after WWII. The threat has been two-fold; on the one hand, was the refusal of capitalism to fail, a failure that Marxists had been predicting as immanent ever since the mid-twentieth century; on the other, was the failure of the Soviet Union to build a successful or humane society. Marxists living in the West, beyond the reach of Soviet suppression, have attempted to develop a comprehensive theory more in tune with the complexities of contemporary society than Classical Marxism.
A prince should not concern himself with living virtuously, but rather with acting so as to achieve the most practical benefit. Such vices are truly evil if they endanger the state, but when vices are employed in the proper interests of the state, a prince must not be influenced by condemnation from other men. Machiavelli argues that a prince should always try to appear virtuous, but that acting virtuously for virtue’s sake can prove detrimental. Every action the prince takes must be considered in light of its effect on the state, not in terms of its intrinsic moral value. Machiavelli criticizes the concept of a “good life” reflected in the Aristotelian doctrine that demands virtuous actions in all types of behavior. But, a prince must break his promises when they put him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made the promises no longer exist. In any case, promises are never something on which a prince can rely, since men are by nature wretched and deceitful. A prince should be a master of deception. Machiavelli does not argue that a prince should actively avoid doing what is good but that, if necessary, a prince must be prepared to act
By all accounts, The Prince, is a handbook on the acquisition and maintenance of political power. Neither can it be argued otherwise, as Ernest Cassirer has acknowledged in his commentary "New Theory of the State", that "Machiavelli has no scruples about recommending to the ruler all things of deception, of perfidy, and cruelty." (p157, "New Theory of the State") Yet in the realm of Machiavellism, a very distinctive line must be drawn between using evil to achieve power and using it for its own sake. The Prince preached the first form of use.
Few question The Prince’s place in the canon of western literature. That it marks a turning point in our collective history, the origin of the study of politics as a science (Pollock 43), is alone enough to warrant its classification as a "Great Book. Its author, Niccolo Machiavelli, a contemporary of Copernicus, is generally accepted as an early contributor to the scientific revolution, because he looked at power and the nature of sovereignty through the eyes of a scientist, focused completely on the goal without regard for religion and morals and ethics. Machiavelli taught that the way princes actually do govern often differs substantially from than the way they ought to govern, according to medieval Christian virtues. Sir Frederick Pollock wrote that in Machiavelli we find "for the first time since Aristotle, the pure passionless curiosity of the man of science. We find the separation of Ethics and Politics…Machiavelli takes no account of morality" (43). Machiavelli considers a successful ruler to be above morality, since the safety and expansion of the state are the supreme objectives. There had not been such a frank rejection of morality since the Greek Sophists. His ideas are in stark contrast with traditional church teachings. It is no wonder that The Prince was added to the Index of banned books and even today remains one of the most criticized and controversial books ever written. It is a scientific investigation into the tactics of retaining power. It is about application of power in the pursuit a greater goal. The Prince is, above all, about leadership. Though it is doubtful that Machiavelli realized the far reaching impact of his work. Its application is timeless and parti...
Machiavelli’s The Prince was written more than 500 years ago and it is “one of the most influential and controversial books published in Western literature.” (Article A) It was about Machiavelli’s political philosophies and the basic principles of what he believes a politician or “prince” should be. The three main ideas of the Prince were “Liberality and Stinginess”, “Cruelty and Mercy: Is It Better to Be Loved Than Feared, or the Reverse?”, and “How a Prince Should Keep Their Promises” and for the most part many of his concepts should or are already instilled in our government.
During the sixteenth century the political foundation was of interest to Machiavelli. He wrote, “The Prince” as a guide to political power. It was his analysis on how a powerful ruler could be created. Although most seen his writing as harsh, it allowed others the idea of what they believed the perfect civilized government should look like. His rules and...
Machiavelli in his famous book “The Prince” describes the necessary characteristics for a strong and successful leader. He believes that one of the most important characteristics is to rule in favor of his government and to hold power in his hands. Power is an essential aspect of Machiavelli’s theory, and a leader should do whatever it takes to keep it for the safety of his country because “the ends justifies the means.” To attain and preserve the power, a leader should rather be feared than loved by his people, but it is vital not to be hated. As he states, “anyone compelled to choose will find far greater security in being feared than in being loved.” If a leader is feared, the people are less likely to revolt, and in the end, only a threat of punishment can guarantee obedienc...
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
In the 5th and 4th centuries, the Classical Greek’s were developing ideas and forms that influenced the Western civilisations and societies. Religion, philosophy, arts and architecture, politics and law were the most important contributions of the Classical Greeks to the Western world . Since then, the Classical Greek’s concepts and methods have impacted the ideas and forms of the future generations.
The prince, written by Machiavelli is troubled with the issues of politics, ruling a state and how a ruler or a leader should be in regards to ruling a state. One of the most important topics touched on in the book, The Prince, is the effect moral value (virtue) has on the ruler and their good or bad chance (fortune) with regards to their effects on gaining and keeping power. A leader needs to be virtuous and have good fortune on his side in order to avoid failure, however being too virtuous can possibly hinder one’s ability to run a nation successfully.
The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli was among the first humanist pieces of Renaissance. It is complete explanation of how to obtain and sustain power in political platform. Yet this work has been an issue over debates since centuries. Nicolo Machiavelli’s work is seen to be significant effort to lay the pillar of the reunification of Italy. This paper talks about the authors’ notion that prince should use various ways to practice his power where for the author ends are more important than the means.
Machiavelli remains one of the controversial figures of political history. One of his works, The Prince (also known as "A Handbook for Dictators"), contains many references...
Paul de Man once said, “Modernity exists in the form of a desire to wipe out whatever came earlier, in the hope of reaching at least a point that could be called a true present, a point of origin that marks a new departure.” But what is he really trying to say? Modernity takes out the old and brings in the new, continually upgrading to something else? Modernity appears as a concept of change. It most commonly refers to the social conditions, processes, and discourses resulting from the Age of Enlightenment. The concept of modernity captures the progress of societies, from primitive civilizations, which evolved gradually through discrete stages, reaching a modern age characterized by industrialization and capitalism, concluding in the current, post-modern state of globalization which shapes contemporary society with ever increasing coercion. Modernity can be placed into many different time periods. There are two, however, that are the most relevant: Early modernity and Classical modernity. Early modernity consisted of theorists such as Immanuel Kant, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith and Alexis de Tocqueville. Classical modernity consisted of theorists such as Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Many theorists have defined their own form of “modernity” which will be discussed throughout this paper.
Schumaker Paul, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas Heilke, Great Ideas/Grand Schemes: Political Ideologies in the 19th and 20th Centuries, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc., 1996. Schumaker Paul, Dwight C. Kiel, Thomas W. Heilke, Ideological Voices: An Anthology of Modern Political Ideas, New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.