Machiavelli and Political Thought

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the moral issues in Machiavelli's work "The Prince" as well as how Machiavelli's theory of the state coincides with classical political thought. The paper also examines Thomas Moore's book "Utopia" to compare and contrast Moore's ideas with those of Machiavelli on the power of the state and ordinary morality.

From the Paper:

"Machiavelli himself was a political realist. In his political realism he has at least three golden rules or precepts in The Prince, they are: Machiavelli writes of how a prince should have humanity. This meaning that a prince should have a common bond with his people, and so classical political thought, that is a government for the people as well as the prince remains standard in Machiavelli's writing. However, Machiavelli was double-dealing when he wrote The Prince and although a prince should pay close attention to his subjects the true gain of power remains with control. Machiavelli also wrote (in his doubl-dealing) that a prince will remember the flesh he wears and that the lowliest servant wears the same as he, and so ordinary morality becomes integral in the process of ruling a kingdom."

Sample of Sources Used:

• More, Thomas. Utopia. Trans. Robert Adams. W.W. Norton and Company, 1991.
• Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Trans. Luigi Ricci. A Mentor Book, 1952.

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• Essay # 35388 : "Machiavelli and Napoleon"
• Comparison Essay # 50595 : "Machiavelli and Rousseau on the Roman Constitution"
• Analytical Essay # 143412 : "Perspective On Politics" - An Analysis of Political Thought"

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