Would you want your President to act according to Machiavelli's principles? Why or why not? What about other people in positions of authority (parents, principals, teachers, coaches, etc.)
You MUST reference at least 1 of Machiavelli's quotes in your response. Be sure to explain the quote and justify your response.
1 paragraph. Email your response (include block #) and post below as an anonymous comment)
Based on what we have learned in class today, I would want the president, as well as other superiors, to act partially according to Machiavelli's principles. I do agree with Machiavelli's statement, in which he says, “Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.” Why, you ask? Well, love for someone can dwindle down to an empty void of nothingness in one day, much like one's love for a certain color or music group can dwindle over the course of time. That being said, I also believe that our superiors should not lie to us. As Machiavelli stated in his book, "The Prince", “…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.” I do not want to be deceived by my superiors, and if our superiors acted according to Machiavelli's ways, they would lie when it would be beneficial for them.
ReplyDeleteAfter class today, I would want the president along with others in a position of authority to act according to Machiavelli’s beliefs to some extent. For example, I agree with his statement, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” This is true because as a person of authority, if you are not loved or feared, you will most likely not be well respected. If someone loves you one day, they may not love you the next. People’s opinions change quite often and someone may love a band for one year, and not the next. Just like this, someone may not love you the next time. However, if you are feared, someone’s fear for you will not change so suddenly. Therefore, I do agree that if you can’t be loved and feared, you should be feared. On the contrary, I do not agree with Machiavelli’s claim that “because men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need not keep you word to them.” I believe that people of authority should keep their word to their people and should not lie, and if our leader led according to Machiavelli’s principles he/she would not keep their word to us. Therefore, I would want our president and people of authority to follow Machiavelli’s beliefs to a certain extent.
ReplyDeleteI would like the president, or anybody in authority, to act according to Machiavelli only in certain cases. I agree with Machiavelli but I think somethings he takes a little to far. Machiavelli states that "The prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being hated" This quote is saying that if you had to choose between being loved and being feared, you should choose being feared because if you are loved it can change. When people love something they are fickle and change their minds a lot. But if you are feared, then people are going to respect you and not take advantage of you. Overall, I think that according to this quote people in authority should take Machiavelli's advice.
ReplyDeleteI would want our President to act according to Machiavelli’s principles. I would want this because Machiavelli’s strategies are logical and will be extremely effective. Machiavelli says “ The prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being hated.” Machiavelli believes that rulers should aim for becoming feared by his people, not loved. I think this is an excellent strategy because if a ruler is feared, the people of his country will listen to him. Love may not be the best tactic to run a country, because citizens may not be as abiding to all of the ruler’s policies. I would not want my parents or teachers to act according to Machiavelli’s principles. Machiavelli’s principles are very strict and can be tolerated when controlling a large group of people, but this type of treatment from parents and teachers will be unbearable. The effects of his tactics will be felt stronger when utilized by parents and teachers such as lying, and doing whatever it takes to achieve his goal.
ReplyDeleteIf Obama adopted Machiavelli's way of life there would be utter chaos in the United States. United States citizens have the freedom of speech and are allowed to speak up for themselves. If Obama uses fear to keep all his citizens in line, as Machiavelli suggests, the people wouldn't say anything and wouldn't take measures to inform government officials about their concerns or desired changes. The citizens would also be regularly lied to. Machiavelli writes in The Prince, “Everyone admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep his word, and to behave with integrity rather than cunning. Nevertheless our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have considered keeping their word of little account, and have known how to beguile men’s minds by shrewdness and cunning. In the end these princes have overcome those who have relied on keeping their word.” This day and age does not allow any major scandal of by the government go unnoticed. People would find out and be enraged. They may even declare war on the government. In addition, Obama would turn into a tyrant. Machiavelli made his rules for a prince who had almost ultimate control over an area, if Obama gains ultimate control, there will be trouble. United States citizens want a democracy, not a tyranny.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that presidents, or anybody of authority, should act according to Machiavelli's principles. Machiavelli thought that a leader should be willing to do anything to get to the top, including lying or cheating. Although I am aware that much of this corruption already takes place in politics, Machiavelli takes it to far. Machiavelli's quote " It is better to be feared than loved, if not both." does make sense though. Love can be fickle, while fear is a strong emotion. However, I would change fear with respect. For the president of the United States, fear really isn't the best option, but respect can produce a similar effect of loyalty. Machiavelli did not really have very good morals, and he had no belief in the ability of man. For this reason, I would not like it if a current leader acted according to Machiavelli's principles.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the president should take upon the Machiavelli principles. "The prince must make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being hated " What he is saying is that one should be a leader, not a pushover. If a leader makes decisions based on what everybody's opinion is just so he may be loved that not being a leader and taking charge. If a leader is not feared then a revolt of his subjects would be more common than somebody who strikes a reasonable amount of fear as they would keep them in line. It goes for another person of authority too. A coach for a team can not be relaxed and aiming to please her team. She needs to push them and make them fear her to make the team stronger. If coach said we had to run two miles and nobody was afraid of her and didn't do it, the team would just get weaker.
ReplyDeleteI think that Machiavelli's principals would make a great president. Although his ideas don't make a moral man, but as Machiavelli says, "Politics have no relation to morals". Machiavelli's principals perfectly suit a presidential figure. He states that it is better to be feared than loved. In the case of the president, this is 100% true. There will never be a time where everyone loves a president. But in a case that everyone feared the president, people would be too afraid to commit crimes, or attack the United States. This would ultimately be better for the United States because opposing forces would be too intimidated to harm us. In personal figures however, I don't think Machiavelli's strategies would work. Parents and teachers are supposed to be personable. They shouldn't lie to their kids, or fake a personality. I'm sure Machiavelli's principles would work, but parents and teachers aren't supposed to be about controlling their children with rules. Its about helping a child grow into the best people that they can be. Politics may not be about morals, but I think teaching and parenting should be.
ReplyDeleteI would not want for our president to abide to Machiavelli's principles. For instance, Machiavelli said, " ...fear is strengthened by a dread of punishment which is always effective". Niccolo Machiavelli is trying to explain that if one is looked upon with fear, then the people under this person will always be dreadful of punishment that may come their way. However, I feel that when there is a leader is feared, the people, especially in these modern times, will rise up as one against the ruler. On the other hand, the people and citizens of the country or state will stand behind their leader if that ruler is moral, loved, honest, and fair. That leader would get help from his people, other officials will feel better better working with the leader, and it would lead to a more benevolent environment for all the people. A myriad of times in the world's history great and prosperous times have been influenced by leaders that have been loved and had the backing of their people. Meanwhile there have also been incidents where fear of a person in power leads to people rising up against that leader. Therefore, I believe that by following Machiavelli's principles, it would be no benefit for the president, coaches, teachers, principles, parents, and most importantly, the people under them.
ReplyDeleteI would want our president to act according to Machiavelli's principles mostly. However, if our president did act just like Machiavelli, he would be hated for the way he would think of man. If he felt that all humans were scum who didn't belong on the earth, he would never be elected. Then again, if he acted too nice, people would start to take advantage of him. I think that people should fear the president, but not to a degree so that people start to hate him. As Machiavelli said, "It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both." I agree with this, but one shouldn't be feared so much that people start to turn against him.
ReplyDeleteAfter the lesson on Machiavelli, I have to agree that the US president should base his principles off of Machiavelli's. One of Machiavelli's quotes is, "It is far better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both." This would be a very important principle for the president to take on. Love is unreliable and fickle; loyalty from the people cannot be based on how much they like him. However, if they fear the president, they will follow and be loyal to his word because they fear for their own sake. This applies to all figures of authority. For example, if a mother was always kind to her son despite the circumstances, the son would not be afraid to do wrong because he would not receive harsh treatment. However, if the mother was strict and threatening to the boy at the right times, this would push him to do the right thing more often. In other words and on a larger scale, if the president used scare tactics, people would be more willing to follow the president's ideas, and less willing to speak out against them. Next, I noticed that Machiavelli finds the positive side of using man's vices in politics such as: lying(because everyone does it, and it can help you persuade, and win arguments), breaking promises(if it puts the president at a disadvantage), and being two-faced(because few get to see the real him). These principles of Machiavelli may not be "moral," but are extremely logical in means of winning over the peoples' support.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through Machiavelli's principles, some of the principles should be obtained in modern authorities, while others should not. Personally, having authority who is feared and loved would keep the followers loyal to the authority but also not hated so their followers do not turn and rebel. Furthermore, I do believe that a ruler should be a great liar when having to keep top secret information from the followers as a whole because if the wrong information falls into the wrong hands, it could backfire on them. Also, I believe authority should present themselves as trusting and responsible individuals. If they fail to do so, this will cause a distrust within the society and a new leader will most likely be elected or the current one will be overthrown. This will also make the followers feel at ease knowing they are trusting a responsible leader who will do what is right to protect them by making them believe they are a great person. "Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are." This quote demonstrates that most people do not personally know authority or a ruler, so they should show their best side. Lastly, authority should not always keep their word because things do change over time. For example, if someone wanted to help a prisoner who had done wrong, it doesn't not mean you have to help that person even if you promised them you would always help them. A leader must know the difference between right and wrong to know the correct decisions to make. But, I do not believe that a leader should only know about the region's history to avoid fights breaking out and to improve war tactics. Yes, it should be a part of their knowledge but that should not be the only knowledge of the ruler. Another reason is the weaponry may not be up to date. For example, in today's society we are using airstrikes in the Middle East when during the Civil War we used riffles and canons. Obviously those weapons are not up to date, weakening the attack plan. Overall, I do believe Machiavelli's principles would be a major benefit if our leaders and authorities followed them but not all principles should be followed.
ReplyDeleteIf Obama took to following the words of Machiavelli, we could potentially be in a better position than we are today. Many of his teachings involve ways to deceive people and make them perceive you a certain way through manipulation. One of the main points is that as a leader you must do what is necessary to protect your country. As Machiavelli once said, "A prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honor his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist." This essentially means that if something no longer beneficial to you or is not cooperative with you, then it is essential to move past it. For example, if the US were to involve itself in foreign relations such as wars it could effect our trade agreements with other countries, as well as use up our citizens tax money for possibly no good reason like Afghanistan. Disrupting our trade with other countries can have a horrific effect on the economy and therefore would not benefit us. So in this situation it might be better to the countries being attacked the cold shoulder so we can take care of ourselves first.
ReplyDeleteBased on what Machiavelli stated in this quote, "“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved," I disagree that our President should abide by this. Machiavelli is saying that a leader should be feared instead of loved, if he or she cannot be both. As the leader of a nation that stands behind the idea of freedom, it is better that he be loved more than feared. When I think of a leader being feared, the first thing that comes to mind is a dictatorship. In that scenario, the people are generally oppressed and there is little prosperity. Also in a country where we elect our leaders, people will generally vote for someone that they like or respect instead of fear. At a high level such as this, Machiavelli's ideas are not very ideal.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as much as I do not like saying this, Machiavelli's system works very well with teachers. In personal experience, I once had a teacher whom I was very afraid of. I was always sure to pay attention in class and complete my work on time utilizing my best effort. This paid off, because I had all A's throughout the year. I never messed around in that class, and although it wasn't a comfortable atmosphere, I cannot deny that it worked extremely well.
I would not want a person of authority to act according to Machiavelli’s principles. Although Machiavelli has a very realistic approach and strong arguments, his principles are morally wrong and too extreme. One of his quotes, “Because men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need not keep your word to them.” Machiavelli is trying to say that people are horrible beings and that they are not trustworthy. If President Obama followed this principle, then the United States would not be a strong country, and we would not have any allies. Alliances form based on trust and respect. If Machiavelli’s acts were followed, there would not be any trust and everyone would be overly cautious about everything, therefore the world would not progress.
ReplyDeleteI would not want the president of the United States, or any other figure of authority, to act according to Machiavelli's principles. This is because Machiavelli believes that it is best to use fear to keep people in order, as he states in his quote, "It is better to be feared than loved." This idea and attitude towards ruling is one that can spiral out of control easily, and can turn into a tyranny. Instead, I think a person of authority should have the trust of their subjects, rather than fear. Machiavelli's views on ruling is not suited for a country that values freedom and human rights- like ours.
ReplyDeleteAfter learning about Machiavelli in class, I believe that Obama and all of our superiors, have Machiavelli in them somewhere. Most of them, are beneficial to the group as a whole, but are morally wrong. For instance, "A prince need not necessarily have all the good qualities I mentioned above, but he should certainly appear to have them". This principle is especially important in ruler ship, because you wouldn't make a great leader if you didn't appear presentable, amiable, courageous, etc., and you certainly won't last long in the position you are in if you didn't show those qualities. We all need to make a good impression on people and I think it is a resourceful tool to have as a leader. Another principle is that if you ar e at a disadvantage or you have no reason to keep your promise don't., This is justified because people lie to each other and we have a right to do it. This is another beneficial principle to follow. If you kept your promise all the time, you will be vulnerable and another ruler will have no problem trying to conquer you. Not all principles should be followed. Another idea he believes in is that the only thing a ruler should know is about wars and history so we don't make the same mistakes again. That is a good concept in theory, but in reality, this isn't the only knowledge you need to know.. There are many parts to a government. Think of it as a production: there are lead roles, but the director doesn't focus just them, there is the rest of the cast to support.. A well known quote sums it up perfectly: "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link". Ultimately, it is beneficial to have a little Machiavelli in you.
ReplyDeleteMachiavelli’s principles would produce a chaotic society which is ironic considering that The Prince was primarily about how societies should be organized in order to prevent just that. If President Obama were follow the diplomat’s principles, there would be a complete dissolution of morals if government. However, we would be foolish to believe that none of these politicians already use these means. As Machiavelli said, “Politics have no relation to morals.” Well spoken, Machiavelli. In addition to the president, other people in positions of authority should not act accordingly to these principles. As much as all of wish that the government is run by people possessing moral compasses, that is just not always the case. In that regard, Machiavelli was correct. He revealed people in positions of power for what they frequently are, greedy and self-serving. However, Machiavelli’s suggesting of this type of behavior for total authority was lacking scrupulousness leading to his own adjective and being dubbed as the father of political science.
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ReplyDelete“Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved," is a Machiavelli quote that can still be used today to describe how a world leader should act. Loyalty goes to a person that is feared and loved but love goes to a lower degree. Love comes and goes but fear stays and most people can never surpass certain fears. Still, if our president acted like all the quotes Machiavelli wrote the world we live in would not be as serene as it is right now. What if our leaders followed this “because men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need not keep you word to them.” This would mean most of what the president says would be false. Could you live in a world where the president lied to everyone in his country everyday. Do I want our president to act like Machiavelli's principles? Yes, I would, but not all the principles should be applied to how the president leads us.
Niccolò Machiavelli was a man with extreme ideas. He had a whole different view on how leaders should run governments and countries. One of his quotes , "Politics have no relation to morals" describes one of his major ideas. He believed that political activity could not be restricted by moral considerations. A leader should only care for the prosperity of his country. The Untied States of America's president, Barack Obama, should not follow all of Machiavelli's principles. "“It is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both…" This is a quote from Machiavelli's book, The Prince, that describes how one is more respected when feared, not loved. Obama cannot follow this rule, as in America's society, being loved or liked brings peace throughout the nation, as fear instilled in the population will causes inescapable ramifications. Be that as it may, Obama should follow one of Machiavelli's quotes , "The ends justifies the means" This quote explains how everything should be done, no matter good or bad, in order to achieve goals for the greater good, which makes up for the methods took to accomplish those goals. Obama could follow this path, where he should do all of the necessary things even if it means to lose the lives of others that are guilty in order to benefit his country and people and continue the exploration of international peace. Other people in positions of authority such as teachers and coaches should not follow Machiavelli's ways, as Machiavelli intended to influence his ideas onto political figures such as presidents, chairmen or politicians.
ReplyDeleteI believe Niccolo Machiavelli would be an effective leader because of his principles regarding a strong and independent country and how a leader should act. Machiavelli quotes “A Prince who has a well-fortified city and does not make himself hated is secure against attack.” What he means by this is that if the country or state is properly secured and is lead by a strong person, it will be safe from invasion and danger. He also talks about how a Prince should act; Machiavelli places confidence in lying for the benefit of the outcome. People may be concerned with the idea that they are not being told the truth, but it is with good intentions. But, Machiavelli also says that a Prince should act differently in front of his people than the few people he is close to. I think that a leader should show his or her people who they are instead of being two-faced. This will truly bring the people together which will result in a strong city with a stable foundation.
ReplyDeleteNo, I do not want the president, nor anyone of power to act according to Machiavelli's ideas. "A prince should have no other object or thought, nor acquire skill in anything, except war and its organization…" I highly disagree with this quote and I think that it'd be disastrous if the president were to act like this. From my experience, well-rounded people do better than those with just one expertise. This is because knowing other information of different subjects can help one in one's main subject. For example, if a president's main focus for his or her term is helping the environment, knowing math, on top of science will help him or her. The math will come in handy for formulating a plan and English come in handy for speech-writing. A well-rounded man will get further in his plans and ideas. If a president or leader only knows about war, what will he or she do when it comes to his or her other responsibilities like laws and the such? Throughout my education thus far, I have been taught by a variety of types of teachers. To me, the best teachers were the well-rounded ones, not the ones who knew only one subject well. For example, I had a teacher that knew tons about so many subjects and sometimes in class we'd get side-tracked talking about un-math stuff. From these discussions, I learned much about life, other subjects, and other people. If my teacher had followed Machiavelli's words and was only versed and concerned with just his subject, I do not think that the class would have been as entertaining, informational, and memorable as it was. I think what I have said pertains to all figures of authority, no matter how big or small that authority is. It is so important to be a "Jack of Many Trades"–someone who knows much about many subjects.
ReplyDeleteMy preference on Machiavellian principles varies slightly based on the leadership position. I feel that the President should not act accordingly to Machiavellian principles. In this day and age, revolution isn’t something that the President needs to be avoiding. The principles would just lead to corruption in the system and that is something I do not want. Once the leaders get out of the range of having massive powers, I believe that maybe Machiavelli’s principles can be applied, but only lightly. As I said before, revolution isn’t something that really needs to be focused on, and Machiavelli’s principles mostly focus on how to ensure that people listen to you and make sure there are no uprisings. Finally, when leaders get down to interacting with me, personally, I definitely do not want Machiavelli’s principles. They would only hurt me as well as the teachers or parents leading me. Everything would move smoother without his principles on an individual level.
ReplyDeleteAs Machiavelli once said, “A prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honor his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist.” Some may see this as an immoral idea and believe that Machiavelli was an insane person who understood nothing of ethics, especially when combined with his other ideas, such as how rulers must make good appearances must be made to the public in spite of real qualities and how it is better to be feared than loved. However, I for one agree with Machiavelli and would want the President to act according to these principles. This is because I want a leader who will get things done and not be held down by unnecessary red tape and ties to every little promise that person has ever made. I would much rather have a leader who takes initiative to get things done through the means that will allow that person to achieve their goals, as opposed to one who acts as a puppet of excessive morals and past agreements, which may not be in his best interest later on than when he made them. This is what Machiavelli meant in the quote above; he believed that an effective ruler must not keep promises if they will not benefit him (or his people), either because they have become purposeless or will actually harm the ruler (and the people). In my opinion, if a leader cannot accomplish significant tasks that benefit himself and his people, then he should not be called a real leader at all, just as a student who fails school does not receive a diploma unless they redeem their mistakes. Therefore, I believe it would be perfectly acceptable and would want for the President to use these methods that are possibly considered “immoral” or “improper” in order to find success for himself and his country, as long as the end result justifies the use of these techniques (for example, killing millions of innocent civilians would not be justified strengthening the borders of a country, this would just be an unnecessary massacre of people, likely with no reason to believe in a probable invasion). Although I believe that political leaders should act according to Machiavelli’s principles as long as it is in the best interest of them and the people they represent, I believe that the situation is different with other authorities. I want people like parents, principals, teachers, coaches, etc. constantly employing the same principles. This is due to the fact that the aforesaid people are not making life or death decisions for millions of other people and taking actions that could ruin the lives of countless people. As the actions of these people do not have as great consequence as those of a political leader, it is much more difficult to validate the use of Machiavellian principles. However, the key word here is “difficult”, and it was “consistently” previously, and I do believe that people in other positions of power can use Machiavellian principles with proper reasoning (such as if parents went back on a promise of privacy for their child because they suspect the child of illegal behavior), and it would often be wrong not to with proper logic. Overall, I would want the President (and other political leaders) to act according to Machiavelli’s principles because they need to accomplish goals and do so efficiently, but other authorities (like parents, principals, teachers, coaches, etc.) should not always employ them, as their actions have less effect than a political leader’s, and they would have more difficulty in applying such principles, but should still use them only when they are absolutely sure the principles are necessary.
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