Essay on The Prince vs. the Republic - 1024 Words

Machiavellis criticism of Platos The Republic states that a ruler who possesses an inherent quality of that which is consistently good will never have the authority to rule his or her people successfully. If a ruler always treats his subjects in a manner, which can be qualified as good, then he will ultimately meet his demise, as his subjects will rise against him. Machiavelli claims that it is unrealistic to assume that all the people of a kingdom will conduct themselves in a manner that will be consistent with the ruling of a good leader. Such republics or principalities do not exist in reality and are entirely hypothetical situations. Plato treats his republic as a means of demonstrating that there is a certain way for all people†¦show more content†¦He believes that the knowledge and application of the good will lead to a perfect state. However, this cannot be said to be realistic, as despite the education of the good, ones desires will ultimately overcome the need to be good and the state will collapse. If the rulers are only thinking of the overall good of the state, their own needs will not be met, which can lead to unhappiness on the part of the rulers and ultimately to the downfall of the system. Machiavelli implies in his criticism that the needs of the ruler must be met in order to maintain a stable state, he must trust his instincts and base desires in order to remain true to himself. If he does not, as Plato states and does as he ought to, not as he wishes to, then he will be living a lie within himself and not rule as he should. Without being true to what human nature tells one to do, an uprisi ng either within the ruler or of the subjects will take place and the state cannot stay afloat. As Plato states in the republic the desires of the less respectable majority are controlled by the desires and the wisdom of the superior minority (Part 5, 431d), however one cannot suppress all of the desires forever and the people will finally realize the oppression that they are experiencing and rise against the superior minority. The minority will not possess the power needed to control the less respectableShow MoreRelatedPetrarch and Machiavelli Essay809 Words   |  4 PagesThoughts on Ruling: Machiavelli VS. Petrarch In the fourteenth century, the humanist philosopher Francesco Petrarch wrote a letter entitled How a Ruler Ought to Govern His Sate. Nearly a century later, another philosopher by the name of Niccolo Machiavelli wrote a book about governing, The Prince. The two documents show many similarities in content and theme. While the two wrote in similar subject matter, it is clear that these philosophers possess distinctly different viewpoints on how a rulerRead MoreComparing Aristotle And Niccolo Machiavelli Essay1698 Words   |  7 Pagesfirst. Aristotle was a scholar and philosopher who practiced metaphysics (the desire to know everything) and thus wrote on a multitude of subjects. His work in writing Politics was part of his scholarly career. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to win favor with a prince and thus elevate his position. In the terms of the basic goals of politics, Aristotle saw humans as â€Å"political animal(s)† (Aristotle 6) and thus politics as a force of nature, so by default humans were destined for political activityRead MoreCompare And Contrast Socrates And Machiavelli1419 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates vs. Machiavelli: The meaning of truth As philosophers, both Socrates and Niccolo Machiavelli developed theories in response to the warring political environment around them. However, the theories and principles developed by the two philosophers are vastly different in regard 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, MachiavelliRead MoreCritical Reflection on the Hidden Influence of the British Monarchy on Politics1336 Words   |  6 Pagesmeant they had the right to do anything he wanted as they had been appointed by God. However, after a century of bloody civil wars, unrest and political tensions -including the execution of Charles I, the Revolution of 1688, the rise and fall of a Republic and the restoration of the monarchy- the Parliament passed the Bill of Rights in 1689 (Stoyle, 2011). This document established the first foundations of constitutional monarchy, that is, a monarchy whose powers are bound by some written and unwrittenRead More The prince Essay1526 Words   |  7 Pages Niccolo Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† attempts to explain the necessary tactics and required knowledge a ruler must attain in order to gain and maintain a successful reign. The novel serves as an abstract manual, addressing the definition of a good/bad ruler by placing emphasis on the required military organization, the character a ruler must posses, and the success that could be attained if a ruler should follow the guide. The scope in which the book is written is that of a scholarly observant. MachiavelliRead MoreWalt Disneys The Lion King Essay1031 Words   |  5 Pagesresponsibility and revenge. However, this theme is one of the oldest in history, and it is not the least apparent in one of the oldest works of literature by The Bard himself, William Shakespeare. The work that Disneys TLK parallels is none other tha n Hamlet: Prince of Denmark and the film shadow this work so closely, that parallels between the main characters themselves are wildly apparent. But with a closer inspection of the characters themselves do we see just how apparent these similarities are. While inRead MoreVirtue and Prince4449 Words   |  18 PagesThe Prince is concerned with autocratic regimes Autocracy regime Regime autocracy a mode or system of rule or government of or relating to an absolute and unrestricted ruler a ruling or prevailing system. domineering or dictatorial a government in power. Wikipedia The Qualities of a Prince (Chapters 14-19) Each of the following chapters presents a discussion about a particular virtue or vice that a prince might have, and is therefore structured in aRead MoreMachiavelli vs Islamic Political Thought2559 Words   |  11 PagesMachiavelli vs Islamic Political Thought Niccolo Machiavelli was a political realist. He thought there were certain skills and characteristics needed to become a political ruler. In his work, The Prince, Machiavelli gives advice on how to be a successful prince, or ruler. Successful is partly based on how powerful a ruler was during his lifetime (reign), but largely based on how much the prince affected the lives, through laws or societal norms, of future generations. Machiavelli was mainly interestedRead MoreThirty Years’ War The Thirty Years War was a series of wars fought in the Holy Roman empire,900 Words   |  4 PagesProtestant states: Great Britain, the Dutch Republic, and Denmark (Trueman). Even though the war between the German Catholics and German Protestants were all in the Holy Roman Empire were both Christian it slowly spread was more of a fight over the balance of power. There were two sides in the Thirty Years’ War the Protestant League and the Catholic League. The Protestant League consisted of Frederick of Bohemia who was the leader of the Protestant princes, Denmark led by king Christian IV, SwedenRead MoreSocrates Vs. The Prince1842 Words   |  8 PagesSocrates vs. The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli, a Florentine philosopher and political aficionado from the 16th century and Socrates, a classical Athenian savant who lived during the 5th century B.C., are both judged as being forefathers to modern western political science and thought. The two great men both came from erratic epochs within their respective nations of Italy and Greece: wars, transitions of power, and domestic conflicts left their countries void of sustainable leadership and in desperate