Machiavelli Essay -- essays research papers

"The term Machiavellian refers to whateverone who is unscrupulous, cunning, cynical, and unprincipled"(Goods 1998). many an(prenominal) scholars meet that this offseticular adjective would have dismayed Niccolo Machiavelli, the man from whom the term is derived. In reality he has been attri plainlyed as be one of the brightest lights of the Italian metempsychosis through his works as not only a writer, but also as an influential philosopher of history and political conceit. His almost famed work The Prince has been misunderstood due to the motives discussed and the blatantly honest language used. Many of his critics have condemned him for his pessimistic outlook of man as a integral and in doing so try to negate the bulk of his work. Yet hitherto after over 470 years his works are still thought provoking and influential in the political arena. This paper looks at rough of the influences that may have created such a man.Machiavelli was born in Florence on May 3, 1 469, a time of political upheaval and a backbreaking political influence from the Roman Catholic Church. Although Machiavelli was never what would today be considered middle class, he himself states I was born poor and learned before to stint myself than to prosper(Gilbert 1961, 102). While the extent of this poverty is not cognise, it is known that his family owned land and was able to pay for his pedagogics. In fact, through both(prenominal) of his fathers letters we learn that he had an excellent education in Latin, arithmetic, history, and poetry, but that he was not well off bounteous to afford other more expensive forms of training (Gilbert 1961, 56). However, his financial misfortune from earlier on seems to display itself in his cautious approach to most of his political activities. In fact, the lessons Machiavelli learned early on set a precedent of conservatism that carried on throughout his life. Machiavellis first sight in government was given to him in 1498 at t he age of twenty-nine. His localization was that of Second Chancellor or Secretary and was the second most big paid position in the city (Gilbert 1961, 12). This position was advantageous in the fact that it provided him with experience dealing with both international negotiations and domestic occupancy within the city. These early experiences were evident influences in his political beliefs and he himself commented on them occasionally. It was these early lessons in ... ...61, 141) while describing to a friend his daily activities. It deal be argued that this type of leisure activity may have been part of his informal training into the realm of philosophy. It was during this time that he composed some of his more famous works, but he also composed a comedy called The Mandrake that displays the less serious and rigid side of Machiavelli. Although he does show himself to be as much of a dreamer as he was a politician, Machiavelli believed knew that emotion held no place in polit ics. He himself stated that in order to fairly rule calculation of what mustiness be done in a given situation being unduly affected be passions or the contemporary conventions and ideals of right and vituperate (Fleisher). Through personal experiences, education, and the lessons learned from the past Machiavelli was able to influence the human being for generations with his political insights and theories. Even after 470 years his works still beatify and create debate as to the true nature of politics and the style of those that rule. While the true contributors to the development of these beliefs may never be real known, the impact that they have had upon the world cannot be denied.