Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince In The Prince example essay topic

Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince In 'The Prince', Niccolo Machiavelli approaches, the topic of political morality and human nature in a very different way than thinkers preceding him. His argument on political morality and human nature is made very clear in the early part of his book. For him politics is war, no matter which way you look at it. "You must, therefore, know that there are two means of fighting: one according to the laws, the other with force; the first way is proper to man, the second to beasts; but because the first, in many cases is not sufficient, it becomes necessary to have recourse to the second". (Machiavelli, p. 351-352). He clearly points out towards man's poor behavior in politics and accepts it as a fact, saying that law is a type of combat.

He does not look up to god or any other divine authority for the political morality, like Augustine in his book 'the city of god' or try and look at things the way they should have been in the ideal state, but instead probes into the individual. He aims straight at the reality of politics. Machiavelli In his vision, to guide the actions of men in general, turns to the actions of the strong prince. Machiavelli's higher political morality is to pursue the means to gain and hold power. He is of the view that the ruling prince should be of the sole authority and to gain this authority the prince has to command a certain fear from his citizens.

Machiavelli believes that good laws follow naturally from a good military. His famous statement that "the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound laws" describes the relationship between developing states and war in The Prince. Machiavelli reverses the conventional understanding of war as a necessary, but not definitive, element of the development of states, and instead asserts that successful war is the very foundation upon which all states are built. Much of The Prince is devoted to describing exactly what it means to conduct a good war: how to effectively fortify a city, how to treat subjects in newly acquired territories, and how to prevent domestic insurrection that would distract from a successful war. But Machiavelli's description of war encompasses more than just the direct use of military force, it comprises international diplomacy, domestic politics, tactical strategy, geographic mastery, and historical analysis. Within the context of the political situation those times, when cities were constantly threatened by neighboring states and the area had suffered through power struggles for many years, his method of analyzing all the affairs of state through a military point was timely useful in political thinking.

Machiavelli's analysis could be thought of as pessimistic from the point of view of other thinkers, but in reference to the times, Machiavelli is simply telling it the way it is. He is simply describing his experiences and observations about human nature. Machiavelli believes that politics has turned into war and that this war is not a consequence of men sinking to new lows, or men reversing evolution and grasping the characteristics of beasts, but rather men living they way their bodies and minds guide them to. Machiavelli believes that this is human nature and instead of criticizing the poor behavior he accepts is as a fact and analyses the results. "While you [the prince] work for their good, they are completely yours, offering you their blood, property, lives, and their sons, as I said earlier, when danger is far away; but, when it is nearer to you, they turn away revolt. And that prince who has bases his power entirely on their words, finding himself completely without other preparations, comes to ruin".

(Machiavelli, P. 350). Machiavelli has a very low opinion of the people throughout history. In general, he feels that men are 'ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceiver. ' They avoid danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours. They will do anything for you but when you are in danger they turn against you.

Machiavelli has little respect for the people, and he feels as though they have not earned much either. Machiavelli asserts that a number of traits are inherent in human nature. People are generally self-interested, although their affection for others can be won and lost. They are content and happy so long they are not victims of something terrible, becoming too comfortable in good times. They may be trustworthy in prosperous times, but they will quickly turn selfish, deceitful, and profit-driven in times of adversity.

People admire honor, generosity, courage, and piety in others, but most of them do not exhibit these virtues themselves. Ambition is commonly found among those who have achieved some power, but most common people are satisfied with the status quo and therefore do not yearn for increased status. People will naturally feel a sense of obligation after receiving a favor or service, and this bond is usually not easily broken. Nevertheless, loyalties are won and lost, and goodwill is never absolute. While Machiavelli backs up his political arguments with concrete historical evidence, his statements about society and human nature sometimes have the character of assumptions rather than observations. He concludes that with so many wretched men around virtue is hard to create in oneself.

'The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. ' Overall, Machiavelli is very pessimistic about the abilities of the people. He feels that after examining people through history, his conclusions of wretched men is correct. The Prince is an extremely practical book because it does not tell the reader what the ideal prince is, but it explains to the reader what actions and qualities have enabled a prince to best rule. Machiavelli, however, was a realist. He was concerned with how things were in reality, not how things could be if the world was perfect.

His reasoning was right for his time because his time was a time of frequent war. Today that advice would not work, for now we are a world most often ruled by laws not war.