Niccolo Machiavelli: The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli, a Florentine statesman and political theorist, broke away from medieval political theory in the 14 and 1500's to adapt the Renaissance political theory. This theory held that a ruler's power came from God and that the ruler had to act according to what God wanted. Machiavelli, however, abandoned the idea of rulership based on serving God, and instead thought about using religion as a method of control. He also concentrated his thoughts on what worked and what did not in life, as opposed to doing things that one would think would get them desired results, even if they do not. These issues led him to come up with new concepts about religion and truth, human nature and rulership. And as these ideas show, his was a more active and modem mindset about government and a more responsible way of thinking, both for his time and ours.

Machiavelli was a man unlike any other. He held that instead of religion ruling politics, religion could be used to rule a people. He did not believe that having sincere faith in God and being a devote follower of religion was wrong, but he believed that if at any time one's faith threatens his or her well being, it should be abandoned. Machiavelli also believed that whatever happened in a state was the direct result of its ruler's efforts, not the will of God. This view, that in the long run acting instead of praying will do more than anything else could, is a very action-oriented, self-empowering way to think. It is also a thought process not many people had back then, as well as one some still do not have today.

Along with having ideas about faith and rulership, Machiavelli also stressed the truth above all else and going with what works in daily life, as opposed to going with what one thinks

2would work. Machiavelli found that a lot of people are not what they appear to be. He also found that others believe these false appearances, as well as situations that present illusions. Not only was seeing a situation for what it really was important, but also acting based on one's reality as opposed to one's fantasy was important to him as well. A person, for example, can daydream all he or she wants about the way he or she wants things to be, but if the person does not work to make it this, the person goes nowhere. In fact, doing this, according to him, would only cause one's downfall. Instead one should concentrate on taking their current situation in the direction their fantasies are in. Today, some people still speak of their religion very naively, but although these people seem to have a naive way of thinking, they also seem to want to have the same control over the people they talk to that the priests, rabbis or others higher up have over them. People today seem to practice what he preached. The idea of going beyond illusions and seeing the truth of matters is also a very modem view, both for his time and ours. People even today still judge others by what they appear to be, and do not bother to question if a person or situation really is what it seems. However, I do think the idea of learning and going with what works is new for some people. Some people even to this day are so set in their routine and in doing what they think would work that even if what they are doing does not work, they do not see what actually does. They are caught in a rut. However, others seem to have been doing what works for a while. These are also the people who are further ahead in life. Machiavelli presenting these views, however, showed that he was someone with wisdom and insight.

Although he stressed the truth above all else, Machiavelli also stressed that a ruler should be modem in his thinking and easy to relate to. If one is easy to relate to he or she will have an easier time getting others to root for his cause than if people have no idea where he or she is coming from. People will feel for this person. I see this idea applied with politicians all the time.

3Some politicians, like Clinton, are very low-life but seem more like the average man. And then there are politicians like George W. Bush who I believe publicly said, "I have no idea what it's like to be poor." This is not a public statement he wants to make if he wants to get the majority in his side.

Along with being able to identify with the common man, Machiavelli also noted in his work that by nature, people are selfish and corrupt, so for a ruler to act any other way would cause failure in his endeavor. He exemplified this when he wrote that a man should stay away from behaviors that will cause him downfall, as well as men that will try to bring him down. Although Machiavelli had the correct idea about people being corrupt, he was able to figure out how a leader could make this work for him. He wrote that in order to be a successful leader one must get involved in scandal, not necessarily for his own self-benefit, but in order to change it. Innovative for his time period, but these ideas make sense for today's world. There are people I know in college who have found themselves in tempting situations, but if they took the bait it might lead to their downfall. Instead they chose to simply sit on the sidelines and watch things happen instead of directly getting involved with them, which is wise.

Machiavelli wrote that, "A prince...must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and faithful:" (292). Machiavelli sited that a people are much better off with a nasty king who kills his subjects one by one than with a nice king who lets his entire state go to ruin because he was too wimpy to stand up for it in the face of opposition. Machiavelli also brought up the point that a feared ruler has an easier time because he or she can get away with doing whatever he wants and is less likely to be revolted against. A leader who is well liked, on the other hand, has more obligations to his people. He also mentioned that a man who is feared can control his people through the fear, but a man who is feared and hated has

4more of a chance of being revolted against. In other words, a leader may be hated, but if he is effective, that is what counts. In today's society as well one must be able to withstand criticism, both for what the ruler does as well as for what other's think of his or her personality. Even today there are powerful politicians who are absolutely hated and get away with murder, but they are listened to. Also as the wise statesman reported, people who wanted a job done back then were known to tell others that it does not matter what has to be done, just as long as it is done. People still do this today. The specific means used are irrelevant, so long as the desired results are achieved.

It is ironic how sometimes one has to do one thing in order to obtain the opposite result. Among the many other wise sayings the Florentine statesman had, he also figured out that in the end, following practices one would think of as virtues would inadvertently cause ruin, and that practicing vices would actually lead to one's well-being. One would think that staying out of trouble would be a good thing, but in the long run, according to Machiavelli, it gets a person nowhere. On the other hand, getting involved and dealing with messy issues at first might look like a stupid move and a waste of time. After all, it just makes life harder. In the long run, however, it might be the situation, the challenge one faces and the influence one has over a period of time that causes personal growth. If one does not dive in and get his or her hands dirty no learning or growth can take place.

Rulership, one's values, human nature and character are all very deep and important topics. For someone to not only think about these kinds of issues, but to come up with the insights Machiavelli has, he must have been a truly remarkable person. Although the specific ideas he thought of might have been advanced for his time period, they are certainly ideas that I see put into practice every day. However, this is not to say that people from this time period are

5any more advanced than those from Machiavelli's time. There are some, in fact, whose mindset has not advanced at all from that time. Maybe it is in this respect that he might have been ahead of his time.