History Political Philosophy Sources Political Stability Instability

¶ … history political philosophy sources political stability instability Machiavelli? Source: The Prince (Machiavelli), cited work the Prince My thesis Statement:The Prince, written 1513, intended a guide gave advice effective ruler stay power.

Niccolo Machiavelli's 1513 political treatise "The Prince" deals with a series of matters concerning political stability and the means available to make it possible. Considering that the writer lived in a period dominated by political instability, it is not surprising that some of the methods he proposed in order to restore order were somewhat unorthodox. From his perspective, moral acts were in certain situations pointless, as people actually needed to be controlled with the help of manipulating techniques. Machiavelli was basically interested in promoting the concept of evil, even with the fact that he attempted to mask this by posing in a person deeply concerned about his nation. He considered that in order to be able to control a community, a leader must first understand the nature of the people he or she is interested in having power over.

Machiavelli believed that people are principally interested in their own well-being and depending on their feelings, they are more or less likely to act in accordance with their leaders. Whereas they appreciate moral characteristics in others, they are hesitant about taking on these traits themselves. In order to have people consider that they have to behave in a particular way, one first needs to make them feel as if they are obliged to do so. This can be done through granting them a favor, as this would fuel their sense of responsibility. In spite of the fact that Machiavelli puts across several interesting hypotheses concerning human nature, most of them are assumptions.

"The Prince" idealizes the thought that leaders should not be concerned about what their subjects want, as they should actually be interested in having them understand that they have to comply with what their leaders want from them. From Machiavelli's point-of-view, it would be futile for a leader to guide his behavior in accordance with the needs of his followers. Instead of doing so, he believes that a leader would achieve better results by imposing his power.

2. Machiavelli was well aware of the fact that it was very difficult for a leader to maintain authority, especially considering the fact that popes and local leaders in Florence were often overthrown through violent rebellions. In order to maintain authority, Machiavelli considered that a determined leader has to do everything in his or her power, even if this means that he or she will commit unethical acts.

People are typically inclined to believe that there is a strong connection between ethics and authority and that an ethical leader is likely to maintain authority for a longer period than an unethical leader. Machiavelli was completely against this belief, given that he considered authority to be something determined factors other than morality. He believed that a ruler should be mainly concerned about maintaining power by using any means available to him, regardless if they are moral or not. Witnessing how Florentine leaders failed in many occasions by using their goodness, Machiavelli reached the conclusion that this was not one of the best methods of maintaining authority. In order for this to be possible, a leader needs to know how he or she can use the power that he or she has. By imposing power over subjects, a leader will gain better results in maintaining authority.

From Machiavelli's perspective, a successful community needs to have good laws and these respective legislations need to be reinforced through the use of power. Subjects have to learn that they will suffer if they do not obey, since only by being aware of this will they refrain from going against their leaders. A weak leader is likely to be criticized, regardless of his position regarding morality. In contrast, a strong leader is less probable to be condemned, as people acknowledge the fact that they risk great distress if they do not subject to his requirements.

3. Machiavelli did not want his readers to look at political authority as being something that needed to be maintained through violence, as he preferred that leaders chose a less obvious path in controlling their subjects. From his standpoint, one would be more likely to act in accordance with his or her leader as long as the ruler poses into someone who actually cares of his or her subjects' well-being. Machiavelli believed that there was no connection whatsoever between political authority and the well-being of the people. Morality is a mere means to reach an objective -- power. A good leader has to pretend that he or she is concerned about his people, but he or she does not actually need to perform efforts in order to guarantee that his or her subjects have what they want.