About this title: In his most famous work, THE PRINCE (Il Principe), Machiavelli described the ideal prince and encouraged the people of Italy to imagine what it might be like if such a person led a unified Italy. Written in 1513 and published posthumously in 1532, THE PRINCE has been interpreted both as a genuine handbook for potential rulers and as a satirical ...
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Arc Manor
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780979415401ISBN:0979415403
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Arc Manor
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780979415401ISBN:0979415403
Description: New. Special Student Edition has a special margin on each page to allow students to make notations. Complete translated text with an introduction on the life of Machiavelli. read more
"The author Niccolo Machiavelli explains in his book how to rule a kingdom well without have many concerns. Machiavelli is clever and he is gives many different scenerios from previous kings mistakes or successes. Machiavelli uses these facts to form a novel that talks about how to create a perfect kingdom, a ideal Utpoia, and he also gives facts about what not to do which would only get the king himself killed. I believed the novel was very informative in the way that he compares and contrasts alot throughout the book. He uses past scenerios from previous kings and in many different ways talks about the flaws of how one rules. For example, i learned that if one wanted to conquer a country or city state that was next or a distance away, they should either kill the whole royal family who is in charge, for in the future the family will seek revenge, or they could leave the family in charge but command indefinite loyalty through taxes and soldiers. This alone gives two seperate scenrios about what could happen. Overall i learned that if one wanted to become a well respected king or conqueror that stays in control without much effort they should read the novel "The Prince"."
"From an evolutionary perspective, there are no rules in the interest of survival and well-being. Michiavelli reflects this "might makes right" and "the end justifies the means" perspective, whether to advance the personal interests of the Prince (power and the advantages therefrom) or the broader social interests(e.g., for a ruler to seek the broader good, he must first determine how to maintain himself in a world filled with so many who are not so good.) In doing so, Machiavelli's theory is anchored solidly in our animal past. Most other political theory, both before and after Machiavelli, attempts to articulate principles and systems of governance that can transcend this Machiavellian viewpoint. As Machiavelli so clearly articulated,* we are apes to be sure. The question is whether we can be something more as survival and well-being entail cooperation as well as competition.
*In his overly solicitous letter (introduction) commending his work to "the Magnificent Lorenzo de Medici," one can sense the self-serving petitioner (beta ape) seeking favor by urging his superior (alpha ape) to read his short work as it might advance his interests (and thereby, Machiavelli's own)."
"Some authors make the bestseller lists; some win Nobel prizes; only a precious few are eternalized in the language itself. Machiavelli earned his place in our consciousness and our vocabulary with a single work, "The Prince", at once a shocking, rivetting, thought-provoking and ultimately unforgettable portrayal of power politics in the Renaissance that remains as fresh and relevant now as it was in the early 16th century. Machiavelli wrote from internal exile after losing his government position with the dissolution of the Florentine republic and the return to power of the Medicis. Having survived imprisonment and torture, he was allowed to retire to his farm where he grappled with the sudden change in his fortunes and took refuge in a study of the lessons he had learned while in government. The result was "The Prince", essentially a master plan for attaining and holding power. Most infamous for Machiavelli's refusal to bow to either sentiment or idealism, the handbook for the mega-ambitious stresses the essentially practical reality of power and warns that "it is often necessary to act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state.""
"Does Machiavelli deserve his sinister reputation? Is he advocating evil in this book? Or only describing it? His focus is not on defending, but on acquiring and governing; that is, imperial conquest and dominance over others. This book is about aggression. He claims that human conditions do not permit princes to be good, and he is right about that. They never will. But do human conditions compel people to become princes? In seizing a state, he says, cruelty is necessary. No doubt this is true, but is seizing a state necessary? Is it moral?
Machiavelli's model prince was Cesare Borgia, a ruthless imperialist, mass murderer, and rapist. Machiavelli admired him for his power, then criticized him when he lost his power.
Yes, Machiavelli deserves his sinister reputation. He worshipped power, believing it to be beyond good and evil. This book is a portrayal of statecraft as it is practiced in the real world, but it is also a how-to book on gaining and maintaining dominance over others. It raises interesting issues, without necessarily resolving them. It can be useful as food for thought, but don't try this at home!"
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