Plato, Machiavelli, and Martin Luther

Paper Summary:

A hierarchical structure of power means that there is an original source of power, together with succeeding layers of authority, by which this power is administered. Throughout history, mankind has been debating where such power comes from and who is entitled to wield it. This paper provides an analysis of the ways in which the hierarchical structures of power were endorsed, justified, and criticized by Western civilization. A summary of the research is provided in the conclusion.

From the Paper:

"Machiavelli's legacy of the effective use of power in contemporary society is based largely on a single treatise, The Prince. "It is a remarkable book, one which fascinated or horrified generations of readers and became, along with Castiglione's Book of the Courtier, the intellectual property of every well-read European during the sixteenth century" (Bondanella 1979:17). According to one Machiavellian biographer, the book caused an instant sensation and the times being what they were, it was soon banned by the church. "The Prince aroused controversy from its first appearance, and in 1559, joined the works of Erasmus and other humanist scholars on the papal Index of Prohibited Books" (Salmon 1995). As noted above, the book was largely based on Machiavelli's observations of Borgia, and was intended as a guide for the future prince of a unified Italian state."

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