machiavellis theories

A detailed Summary of machiavellis theories

Are Machiavelli's Theories Still Applicable Today?

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian politician and philosopher, who lived in the late middle ages (1469-1527) in Florence. He had gotten in a high political position during the reign of Soblerini, and during his work as a secretary of a ten-man council got the chance to study political tactics of Italian rulers. Unfortunately for him, when the family of the Medicis got back in power, Machiavelli lost his job, as most families in that time wanted to get rid of practically all people that still belonged to the regime of the leaders before them. However, he did not only lose his job, he was also exiled as he was being accused of serious crimes (such as working for the Soblerini regime). He was tortured, but released later as he was found to innocent. He was banished to his country house in France, which is also where he writes his most famous work: The Prince.

The main theme of this book is power; he describes the method through which a prince can obtain power, and, more important even, how he can maintain power. He was very innovative in his theories; before him, all philosophers sought to define the goal of the state. Machiavelli feels no need to define this: he sees power as a

An important focus in Machiavelli's work is that of military strength. He is of the opinion that even, and maybe especially in times of peace, emphasis should be placed on military strength. Only by maintaining strong military, a ruler is looked up to, and feared by his enemies.

I think Machiavelli's theory with regard to double moral standards and not doing as one says can not be found in Western society anymore. There is too much media to let anything go unnoticed: take the example of Bram Peper spending government money on private things, or the example of Bill Clinton having a sexual affair with an intern. Things like these, when political figures do not do as they say (in this case in private life, but it can also be applicable for public life) do not go unnoticed: they are highlighted by the press and the whole nation often spends a lot of energy discussing issues like this.

According to Machiavelli, acquiring power is possible in two ways: through fortuna (pure luck) and through virtù, which in its literal translation means manliness. In this case, with virtue he means not something moral , but the capabilities a leader should have, such as ambition and cleverness. Fortuna can come in two ways: good luck , which can cause someone to obtain power, and bad luck, which can cause one to lose their power as a leader even when they are very capable. Furthermore, whatever luck one might have, if one doesn't have virtue, then they are not able to do anything with it.

Until a certain extent Machiavelli's theories are still applicable today. I think that s

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