Machiavellis Prince
The Prince, written in 1513 by Niccolo
Machiavelli is regarded as one of the
most crucial yet controversial works in
the field of political science. It holds
Machiavelli's observations and
reflections on Italian political history. It was
written in response to the
decay of the Italian states system. This book was
designed specifically to
captivate and transform its readers to analyze and
adopt Machiavelli's
perspective as it was initially written and dedicated to
Lorenzo De Medici,
the ruler of Florence. Although this book was written in the
15th century,
the ideas are very much applicable in today's societies.
Machiavelli's
goals and views as perceived by the readers of this book seem to
be in
contrast with the humanist beliefs and teachings of his time. As in his
book
he promotes a secular society and felt morality should be set aside as
it
obstructed power. He reflects that a prince should not consider whether
his acts
are moral or immoral while he acts in the favor of the state. To
achieve that,
states goals must be the primary focus for a prince. If a
prince acts immorally
to achieve the states' goals, then it does not reflect
his personal standards or
beliefs, as it is a role that he plays for the
state. The effect of fortune on
government and the course of humanity is an
important theme in the book. As
Machiavelli believed that fortune played
a major part in at least half of men's
actions. The force of fortune was so
strong that it was mentally in the back of
every men's mind, but their were
steps that could be taken to lower the effect.
Furthermore, Machiavelli
holds a very low opinion of most people and thinks they
have been selfish
towards the state. He concludes from his observations that men
are
"ungrateful, fickle, liars and deceivers." He points out that they
will
accompany you when you are privileged and abandon or turn against you at
the
time of danger. A prince therefore must be cautious while interacting
with
the people but should have a favorable standing amongst them.
"The
Prince" was written and completed by Machiavelli in response to
Italy's
persistent political problems and the emergence of a new rule in
Florence.
Therefore with these two situations at hand, Machiavelli
carefully devised
"The Prince" and primarily focused on the responsibilities,
aims and
objectives that a "new prince" should concentrate upon. To explain
his
arguments, Machiavelli draws out examples from various historical
episodes and
his political experience. He stresses in his book that political
leaders should
seek solutions from the past in order to cure current
problems. His opinion
revolved around that fact that instead of evolution and
progress there was
repetition as a recurring cycle of events shaped history.
This can be seen
reflected in most of Machiavelli's arguments in "The
Prince," which
weakens his arguments to an extent. He further concludes that
men throughout
history have been selfish and cheats. They are not worthy of
any lenience and
therefore should be treated with the same measures as in the
past. The Prince,
has been criticized both in a positively and negatively.
Some have praised
Machiavelli for his realism and irony in a subtle
manner. On the other hand he
is acclaimed for having his work seen as
supporting a republican form of
government by exposing the faults of
princedoms, and praise his ability to
separate political from moral issues.
Machiavelli can also be seen as naïve,
promoting fraud, force and immorality
in politics, using beneficial ends to
justify evil means, and betraying
republican ideals. There is also a departure
from classical models to a more
humanist approach, when Machiavelli urges rulers
to take on the
characteristics of animals by using force when the situation
requires.
Although Machiavelli refers to classical accounts of rulers being
trained by
centaurs, his suggestion that rulers be less than fully human
critical
challenges the humanist tradition which would never have humans behave
as
beasts. The Prince, is often referred to as a 'book inspired by the
devil.'
This piece of literature is very interesting not only for
Political Science
students but also for everyone part of a society. It gives
an excellent insight
to understanding the qualities of human kind. In the 500
years since this book
has been written it has been a major source of
contention and debate. In
addition this book is highly recommended and
enjoyable to read.