Nicolo Machiavelli The Prince

The Prince

Conceived by the diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli in an elucidative and ingenious manner, this is one of the works that challenged the political beliefs of its time and still today continues to provoke and disturb with its analyses on statism and power. The title is regarded as a landmark in the history of Western political thought, being considered one of the first in modern political philosophy, as well as required reading for the curious and politically inclined in matters of State.

An Analysis of Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

How should rulers rule? What is the nature of power? These questions had already been asked when Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513. But what made his thinking on the topic different was his ability to interpret evidence: to look at old issues and find new meaning within them. Many of Machiavelli’s contemporaries thought that God would make sure morality was rewarded. To these people, it was inevitable that ethical individuals would enjoy success in this world and attain paradise in the next. Machiavelli was not so sure. He used the evidence of history to prove that people who can lie, cheat and murder tend to succeed. Machiavelli concluded that three main factors affect a political leader’s success or failure. In doing so, he reached an entirely new understanding of the meaning of his evidence. Machiavelli argued that behaving in a moral way actually hinders a ruler. If everyone acted morally, he reasoned, then morals would not be a disadvantage. But in a world in which leaders are willing to be ruthless, a moral leader would make both themselves and their state vulnerable. Machiavelli’s novel interpretation posits that morals can make a leader hesitate, and this could cost them – and the citizens they are responsible for – everything.

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