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    S1298721 Fu Yuhao Individual Paper of The Prince

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    Machiavelli's The Prince advocates political realism by arguing that politics should be separated from morality and that power and control are essential for rulers. The book emphasizes using any means necessary to maintain power and control over all aspects of the state. While some view Machiavelli's ideas as immoral, others see them as representing a realistic approach to politics that prioritizes national interests over personal morality. Political realism as presented in The Prince still influences modern politics, as seen when countries like the U.S. prioritize national security over humanitarian concerns through actions like invading Iraq.

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    S1298721 Fu Yuhao Individual Paper of The Prince

    Uploaded by

    fuyuhao629
    21 views4 pages
    Machiavelli's The Prince advocates political realism by arguing that politics should be separated from morality and that power and control are essential for rulers. The book emphasizes using any means necessary to maintain power and control over all aspects of the state. While some view Machiavelli's ideas as immoral, others see them as representing a realistic approach to politics that prioritizes national interests over personal morality. Political realism as presented in The Prince still influences modern politics, as seen when countries like the U.S. prioritize national security over humanitarian concerns through actions like invading Iraq.

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    S1298721 Fu Yuhao individual paper of The Prince

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    Machiavelli's The Prince advocates political realism by arguing that politics should be separated from morality and that power and control are essential for rulers. The book emphasizes using any means necessary to maintain power and control over all aspects of the state. While some view Machiavelli's ideas as immoral, others see them as representing a realistic approach to politics that prioritizes national interests over personal morality. Political realism as presented in The Prince still influences modern politics, as seen when countries like the U.S. prioritize national security over humanitarian concerns through actions like invading Iraq.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    21 views4 pages

    S1298721 Fu Yuhao Individual Paper of The Prince

    Uploaded by

    fuyuhao629
    Machiavelli's The Prince advocates political realism by arguing that politics should be separated from morality and that power and control are essential for rulers. The book emphasizes using any means necessary to maintain power and control over all aspects of the state. While some view Machiavelli's ideas as immoral, others see them as representing a realistic approach to politics that prioritizes national interests over personal morality. Political realism as presented in The Prince still influences modern politics, as seen when countries like the U.S. prioritize national security over humanitarian concerns through actions like invading Iraq.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 4

    The Significance of The Prince and Its Use Today

    1. Introduction

    In this article, I will analyze the meaning of The Prince and its influence on modern
    history. As one of the most influential works in political history, I will analyze the
    views and meanings conveyed by The Prince from three parts, namely morality and
    The separation of power, control and the importance of power, political realism, and
    analyze Prince's development in today's world from the perspective of political
    realism.

    2. Significance

    2.1 Separation of Politics and Morality


    In The Prince, the author argues that it is necessary for the ruler to maintain his power
    by any means. Even if those means involve unethical behavior.

    In addition to using all necessary means to secure power, the author also emphasizes
    the importance of state control. Machiavelli believed that the ruler must have
    complete control over all aspects of the state, including the military, economy,
    judiciary, and media. According to Machiavelli, a ruler who loses control of any of
    these elements risks losing power and authority.

    Machiavelli's ideas about power and control influenced the development of modern
    political thought. Many political scientists and philosophers have debated the merits
    of his ideas throughout Machiavelli's advocacy that a leader should always conceal
    his true intentions and often do anything in the state's interest, including against
    mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, and religious activities.
    (John, 2013)

    2.2 Importance of power and control

    In The Prince, it is shown that using necessary means is necessary for gaining and
    maintaining power. , rulers should do whatever is necessary to maintain their power,
    even if it involves immoral or immoral actions. Machiavelli famously said it is better
    to be feared than loved because fear is a more reliable motivator of obedience and
    loyalty.

    In addition to power, Machiavelli also emphasized the importance of control. He


    believed the ruler must have complete control over all aspects of the country,
    including the military, economy, judiciary, and media. According to Machiavelli, a
    ruler who loses control of any of these elements risks losing power and authority.

    Machiavelli's ideas about power and control have influenced the development of
    modern political thought. Many political scientists and philosophers have debated the
    merits of his ideas, and they are still the subject of study and discussion today. While
    some find Machiavelli's ideas cynical and immoral, others see them as representing a
    realistic approach to politics that puts power and control above morality to safeguard
    the national interest.(“De Pincipatibus,” n.d.)

    2.3 political realism

    In The Prince, we can see Machiavelli's admiration for political realism. In Chapters
    15 to 23 of the book, he focuses on issues of power and governance, such as the
    author's description of lions and foxes. As cunning as a fox, as fierce as a lion, you
    can use any means for power(Niccolò Machiavelli, Harvey Claflin Mansfield and
    Press, 2006); the views in it are shown in 2.1 and 2.2; further exploration and
    summarizing these views, we can find that Machiavelli promotes political realism; in
    his view, altruism and justice do not exist, and people's occasional acts of kindness
    are just a disguise to gain fame and benefits. This means that the author believes that
    human nature is inherently evil, and this assumption distinguishes whether
    Machiavelli is an idealist or a realist.

    As a realist, Machiavelli realized the difference between personal morality and


    national interests. The goodness and evilness of a country's behavior cannot be
    measured by the goodness and evilness of personal morality because the existence of
    a country is its purpose, and its core is security and stability. Therefore, all state
    actions are good values as long as they are for the security and stability of the country.
    Secondly, Machiavelli also realized that the power struggle driven by human nature is
    an endless competition, so the pursuit of power and interests among countries is also
    the same. Such an argument makes monarchism separate politics from ethics and
    morality(“The Prince: Mini Essays” n.d.) and believes that the basis of politics is no
    longer ethics and morality but should be replaced by power, which explains the
    viewpoint of political realism.

    3. The reason that The Prince still applies today

    3.1 Today's application of political realism in The Prince

    Political realism is a theory of political philosophy that attempts to explain, establish


    and prescribe political relations. It assumes that power is (or should be) the primary
    purpose of political action, whether domestically or internationally. The theory asserts
    that, in the domestic arena, politicians are or should be striving to maximize their
    power. In the international arena, nation-states are seen as the primary agents that
    maximize or should maximize their power.

    Machiavelli explores the idea of political realism extensively(Schaub 1998). In the


    view of this book, politics must be grounded in reality rather than morality or ideals.In
    the book, the author believes the monarch should make decisions according to the
    actual situation, and the purpose and result are more important than the means.
    The monarch should take the interests of the country as the starting point. , rather than
    moral standards as a starting point. The monarch should adopt various means to
    maintain his power and status, even if these means harm the interests of others.

    An example of political realism is the U.S. government's invasion of Iraq. In 2003, the
    U.S. government invaded Iraq because Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction.
    In later investigations, however, it was found that Iraq had no weapons of mass
    destruction, demonstrating the role of political realism in the invasion.

    The U.S. government chose to invade Iraq out of considerations of national interests
    and national security rather than humanitarian considerations. This example shows
    that national interests are more important than morality and morality in the politics of
    great powers, which is similar to the political realism advocated in Machiavelli's The
    Prince.

    4. Conclusion
    In general, Machiavelli is a staunch political realist. The Prince emphasizes that
    politics should be separated from morality, power and control are essential to the
    monarch, and adopting immoral means to safeguard national interests is feasible when
    necessary. Its theory has profoundly impacted later generations, and political realism
    is still regarded as one of the principles of governing the country today, putting
    national interests first and ignoring morality and humanitarianism.

    References
    O'Rourke, John. "Machiavelli's The Prince: Still Relevant After All These Years: Bu
    Today." Boston University. February 6, 2013.
    https://www.bu.edu/articles/2013/machiavelli-the-prince-still-relevant-after-
    all-these-years/.

    “De Pincipatibus.” n.d. Www.ibiblio.org. Accessed April 18, 2023.


    http://www.ibiblio.org/ml/libri/m/MachiavelliNB_IlPrincipe/main_h.html.

    Niccolò Machiavelli, Harvey Claflin Mansfield, and Chicago Press. 2006. The Prince.
    Chicago ; London: The University Of Chicago Press, [Post ], Cop.
    Schaub, Diana. 1998. “Machiavelli’s Realism.” Edited by Niccolò Machiavelli,
    Angelo M. Codevilla, William B. Allen, Hadley Arkes, and Carnes Lord. The
    National Interest, no. 53: 109–13. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42897167.

    “The Prince: Mini Essays.” n.d. SparkNotes. Accessed April 18, 2023.
    https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/mini-essays/#:~:text=Some
    %20of%20the%20advice%20to%20rulers%20found%20in.

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