Historical characters have a huge contribution to modern day livelihood. There are a significant number of characters such as Albert Einstein, William Shakespeare and Martin Luther whose contributions are relevant to date. In the historical and philosophical context, one character that one would like to meet is Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli caught attention to the readers in his novel about the prince whereby he advises people on leadership and authority. Hence the essay will showcase the reasons why he is an historical character and highlight his diverse ideologies on effective leadership.
The novel ‘The Prince’ was not published during Machiavelli’s lifetime. The Catholic Church banned the book terming it as an evil work and as a handbook of tyrants. Perhaps one would question why would the church ban a book, how evil was it? There are a number of arguments showcased in the novel which are contrary to what ethics and morality call for. One of the things Machiavelli says is that for a leader it’s better to be feared than to be loved. He says it’s difficult to unite them in one person and one better chooses to be feared than be loved by the followers. He says that a prince will not be respected if he is overly generous to his subjects. He advises that the prince should be cruel as compared to being merciful since mercy will ruin his dominion. So a prince should not fear to be cruel if it means putting the subjects in line.
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The book is showcased as a political satire and full of deceit. It causes debate since the author goes contrary to what the readers know about morality and goodwill. It shocks readers that the author would advise that a leader should be more cruel and not good to people. Following the reading will give rise to dictators and is contrary to the fairness to be showcased in leadership. The Prince is a novel read to date and some political leaders even follow the advisory given from the book. An effective example of a follower is the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini. Therefore, meeting such a character would be quite effective as they will shed more light on the aspect of leadership. In the present society, it’s evident that leadership is a problem in many countries. The society complains day in day out on the present ills in the society. The historical figure may give out his argument on how to deal with the present social ills such as terrorism, global warming, racism and human trafficking. Based on his unique ideologies it would be effective to see how he will tackle the modern day problems on leadership among others.
The philosopher had a reputation of being termed as an atheist and an immoral cynic due to his publication. He wrote many books but is mostly known for the text, The Prince which led to him being seen as a teacher of evil. The most well-known quote is the one saying it’s better to be feared than be loved. As a leader, what can only bring fear to the subjects is by being ruthless. Hence his advice for effective leadership was that a leader needs to be dictatorial in such a way that the people fear. He also quoted that politics have no relation with morals. Politics and morality are supposed to go hand in hand as understood by many people. However, Machiavelli argues that politics needs to be distanced from morals. Hence in politics there are no morals. In the society, morals are advocated in workplace and everyday life as they are a necessity for human survival. It’s contrary to what Machiavelli says about politicking. According to him, politics doesn’t work well when you incorporate morals. However, the politicians who end up being leaders are the ones expected to advocate and showcase morality.
Getting an opportunity to listen to him would perhaps help one understand the reason he had contrary ideologies to what humans expect. The most notable line is whereby he said as a leader cruelty will be better in gaining your position and power as compared to being generous and merciful. His political philosophy is still being read to date and arguably, a number of leaders seem to have adopted his ideology. Hence, meeting him will help one understand what he advocated for in terms of politics and leadership. It will also help understand the modern day politics and what ideas the philosopher will have towards the present leaders in the world. Poor leadership has been evident in the past as it led to world wars and poor living conditions up to date. It would be satisfying to see and know how Machiavelli would react to the present day problems and the opinions and advice he would bring out.
Niccolo Machiavelli is one of the most notable political philosophers and authors in the globe. Due to his works which were banned by the Catholic Church, we need to understand in depth why he wrote and believed in contrary ideologies which were against normal ideologies. The book is among the first works of political philosophy whereby truth is taken as being more important than abstract ideals. Meeting with such a renown political philosopher would enable one understand the dynamics of politics and the diverse ideologies that the politicians have. Politics and leadership go hand in hand and thus Machiavelli’s argument holds elements of truth when compared to modern day politics.
