Mahiavellis Unique Morality essays

Mahiavelli's Unique Morality essays When reading Niccolo Machiavellis The Prince, one cant help but grasp his argument that ordinary morality and politics cannot exist in the same forum. However, when examining Machiavellis notions in depth, one can conclude that perhaps a moral end fuels his suggested use of force and violence. First and foremost, one must have the understanding that this book is aimed solely at describing what conditions and actions are necessary for a would-be prince to take in order for him to obtain and maintain power. Therefore, it is essential to grasp his concepts of fortune and virtue. These two concepts reflect the manner in which a prince should govern in order to minimize his chances to be subjected to misfortune. This kind of governing demands the use of force. However, this is only done for the strict purpose of maintaining his throne, and generating both fear and admiration within his subjects. In these cases of violence, Machiavelli suggests limiting the amount of force to a mini mum, and that the victims be enemies of the people. The Prince is essentially taking the role of the villain and assuming all bad acts so that his people do not have to suffer and commit the acts themselves. Subsequently, the Prince requires that his power not be threatened or disrespected. In the end, Machiavellis Prince assumes all the burden of immoral behavior while leaving his noble people live prosperously and according to their moral virtues. This is Machiavellis unique sense of morality. Before examining how the interaction of violence and politics lead to morality in the end, it is important to analyze exactly what Machiavelli demands of his Prince. First and foremost, Machiavelli harps upon the concept of fortune and virtue. By fortune, he means those things that are left to chance and the absence of the guarantee that a certain event will occur. Machiavelli writes that a great long standin...