the nature of the people thoroughly, and one of the populace to know the nature of princes" (Machiavelli 1950, 4). Instead of endorsing morality, just as Rousseau wanted, Hobbes and Machiavelli sought after security. Machiavelli, however felt that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little obligation to the well being of the state. The nature of human beings for Machiavelli, therefore, consists of being suspicious and untrusting, which is why the Prince should be sly like the fox and intimidating and frightening like the lion. This book explores multiple concepts on leadership and governance for a Prince to legislate on his road to success. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. However, Machiavelli holds that the primary objective of the state is to serve itself and the prince. His opinion of human nature is eye-poppingly low. He laid aside the Medieval conception of the state as a necessary creation for humankinds spiritual, material, and social well-being.14 In such a state,a ruler was justified in his exercise of political power only if it contributed to the common good of the people he served, and the ethical side of a princes activityought to be based on Christian moral principles.15 Machiavelli believed a secular form of government to be a more realistic type. Whereas soul (nafs), in its downward or corporeal tendency, is attached to the body and in its upward or spiritual tendency, is attached to the spirit. According to Machiavelli human nature is completely selfish and full of ego and that they always think about their own self interest like the masses desire safety and security and the ruler wants power, and that they are very selfish to gain and conquer their motives. Love is a bond of obligation which these miserable creatures break whenever it suits them to do so; but fear holds them fast by a dread of punishment that never passes. He states that a ruler cannot always be virtuous and good as different situations could lead him to evil and inhumane acts as shown in his statement "learn how not to be good"(Machiavelli, Ch. Looking for a flexible role? The Prince and its ideas can even be seen today in our modern day presidents and kings proving that Machiavelli had compelling ideas and arguments for how leaders can obtain and hold a position of power successfully., The understanding of human nature and the effects it has on the individual and society has been a serious topic in the philosophical world. 37). Thus Machiavelli thought about religion as a powerful instrument so far that it is in the hands of the wise ruler to sustain and uphold the national morale of the state. Due to his critical writings in The Prince, many historians see Machiavelli as a cruel and diabolical political figure whose true intentions were to gain power for himself. When comparing Machiavelli and Rousseaus presentation on human nature, one can see that Machiavellis idea of human nature was completely opposite compared to Rousseaus idea of human nature. HUMAN NATURE Humans are selfish animals: - Reject the ancient or medieval ideas: - People are not by nature community oriented - People must satisfy their appetite and at the same time establish stable government, however tenuous. Niccol Machiavelli, a man of the Italian Renaissance, saw humans as having both positive and negative traits but with the natural tendency to pursue individual interests above all. Probably one of the most infamous and controversial ideologies of the 16th century, the prince by Machiavelli has been a reference for many great leaders and academicians since it was published. What you should think about is cunning or unscrupulousness, The ends justify the means. The father of modern political theory, Niccolo Machiavelli was a 15th century political theorist and advisor who insisted we shouldnt think that politicians are bad or unelectable for manipulating people. Thus, in order to achieve this goal, the leader must only exploit the peoples desire for self-defense and their need to maintain social cohesion or unity among society. However, according to Machiavelli, humans "are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed [men] are yours entirely" (34). When we refer to 'nature' we will discuss it relative to 'human nature', which is the essential metaphysical argumentation of distinguishing traits that humans tend to hold naturally; in other words the human way of thinking, feeling, and acting. On other hand, others may argue that Machiavellis advice leads rulers astray and rather rulers should be kind and generous because morally that is the right thing to do. These sentiments are untenable so long as human nature itself is bad and volatile . In other words, for Marx, there is no such thing as human nature. Copyright 2022 IPL.org All rights reserved. This aspect of Hamlet is the ruthless and cunning tactician who is open to using deceit for his own ends. They will change, according to the changes in society. Some of them being: According to all this and keeping in mind the critics it can be said that on the basis of the above give criticism and discussion Machiavelli cannot be said as completely right, to some he might me, he and his ideas might be excellent to some but others may oppose it and it might not be according to their liking and ideology. To endorse he can do whatever he wants. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virt and vices. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), an Italian bureaucrat wrote in his book The Prince in 1532 about guideline for how to take over, defeat, and rule groups of people. Therefore, the course of action that the prince can best control is what he should pursue. Does his view of mans relation to fortune reflect optimism or pessimism?, Stability in a rulers morals and ethics are a vital asset to have when ruling a group of people. His mindset was simple. Machiavelli has become to be regarded as "the founder of modern day, secular politics. Their views on human nature and government had some common points and some ideas that differed., Machiavelli was an author and an aspiring political figure who had a strong influence on several aspects of Europes government. Machiavelli: human nature, good faith, and diplomacy 541 ever formally a resident. Machiavelli's theory of Government is determined by his conception of the study of human nature. What is Machiavelli's overview of human nature in general and why is it so? Machiavellis vie and point of human nature was very materialistic, he had rejected and turned down the ideologies of the Greek philosophers Aristotle and Plato who said that the state aims to make the people virtuous and good, he also dismisses the idea that existed in the medieval ages that the end of the state is to smooth the way of a man to eternal salvation. He is greedy. He on one hand encouraged people to be more and more religious and on the other hand he also set certain strategies for the ruler to assume and pretend to be merciful, god fearing, righteous, religious and powerful but when it comes to the state the ruler can and should go to any extremes for the sake and the security of the state even if he has to be or is considered to be immoral. Though humanists of Machiavelli's time believed that an individual had much to offer to the well being of the state, Machiavelli was quick to mock human nature. Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing. Islamic View on Human Nature Machiavelli writes: Italy is waiting to see who can be the one to heal her wounds, put and end to the sacking of Lombardy, to extortion in the Kingdom and in Tuscany, and cleanse those sores which have been festering so long. His intentions are clear, and his words are powerful. In essence, human nature is evil; human beings are faithless to the words of the authority and do not always keep their promises. Machaivelli believed that the ruling Prince should be the sole authority determining every aspect of the state and put into effect a policy which would serve his best interests. See this video to understand the instructions of Machiavelli on the Human Nature.Stay tuned to learn more and more about Machiavelli.Thanks for watching this. His idea of the ruler as a pretender is so relevant event in todays time, as politicians and other influential personalities even though highly corrupted and evil from within tend and try to make a clear and a white impression to and in front of the masses and hoax them in order to increase their vote banks or to gain their benefit and profit. 2 It is natural for humans to desire more, and humans are praised rather than condemned when they do so. Machiavelli has a very dark view of human nature and the reason being is because he lost his public service position when the Medicis came back to power and never regained said position. Pharapreising and interpretation due to major educational standards released by a particular educational institution as well as tailored to your educational institution if different; Although Machiavelli doubted that this form of government could ever be established it did appear several years after he wrote The Prince. One of the themes to Machiavelli's plan included the dismissal of the affection of virtue of the nobility as well as the significance of an honest people. Both authors also reflect the fact that the way their people are going to act towards them is mainly based off of how they treat them. Machiavelli discusses in detail how a ruler should act in various situations or circumstances and establishes that the main goal of politics is the successful retention of power. Plato emphasis the question on what is justice for the people as well as for the Kallipolis and whether a just person is better off than an unjust person. Man by nature has some virtues and is not purely selfish. No doubt that people love their property but they love and have equally deep regard and affection for their family, kins and other relations of blood. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! Finally, both texts convey the concept of the body being the vessel of the mind and soul. To get a full understanding towards Niccolo Machiavellis political theory, we must first examine whats managed to inspire his view of an ideal government. He feels that men respond more strongly to fear than love. See how Italy beseeches God to send someone to save her from those barbarous cruelties and outrages; see how eager and willing the country is to follow a banner, if someone will raise it.18Although Italy had become the center of intellectual, artistic and cultural development, Machiavelli did not feel these qualities would help in securing Italys political future. All that matters is having the authority/power necessary to preserve control and keep society in order. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virt and vices. to manifest dismay and use the overwhelming power as a dictator. The book provides historically tested and proven principles of leadership. A human being always tries to explain the main cause of this entangled philosophy, which manifests itself in the spectacular achievements of humankind and establishment of civilizations.
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