"Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius"

Paper Summary:

The paper shows that while most people are familiar with the adjective "machiavellian", very few are actually knowledgeable about the political philosophy of Niccolo Machiavelli. It discusses how, in fact, Machiavelli has a great deal to teach us and we should be careful not to dismiss Machiavelli's thoughtfulness and acuity as an observer of human society by relegating his contributions to a single, uncomplimentary adjective. The paper shows that especially in his "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius" , we see in this writer of the Italian Renaissance a man who was truly engaged in the intellectual work required to create a system of government that was based on ideals and yet that also acknowledged the realities of human society as he understood them from his particular historical perspective. This paper examines the particular suggestions that Machiavelli outlined in "Discourses" for a well governed republic.

From the Paper:

"Among Machiavelli's pieces of advice to royal rulers was a judicious use of force (while this may sound barbaric to us, in fact many royal rulers of Machiavelli's time used force unrestrained by any sense of mercy) along with a respect for the private property of individuals and local traditions and customs. Machiavelli did also argue that the same standards of morality cannot be applied to rulers as to those that are ruled because the conditions of their lives and the extent of their responsibilities are so different from each other that a single set of standards for behavior cannot obtain."

More papers on "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius":

• Analytical Essay # 22635 : "The Ideas of Machiavelli"
• Research Paper # 29303 : "Niccolo Machiavelli"
• Research Paper # 98384 : "Niccolo Machiavelli"

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