Born In Florence, Italy In 1469, Niccol Machiavelli Was The First Gre

Born in Florence, Italy in 1469, Niccol? Machiavelli was the first great political philosopher of the Renaissance. Once a bureaucrat and diplomat for the state of Florence, he was removed from office when the Medici family was restored to power in 1512. He retired to his country home where he, among other works, penned The Prince, a work which has become a political handbook for modern day politicians as well as for those who desire power--whether it be on Wall Street, through corporate conglomerates, or in their personal relationships. The Prince is a philosophical political view on how one might gain, maintain, and expand the power over the state or states in which a ruler has authority. While Machiavelli's views are based on maintaining a monarchy, they can be equated to the corporate world of modern times. In this essay, I will discuss how Machiavelli's views of human nature are relevant in the world today, particularly in capitalist economies that produce massive conglomerates. First let's review some of Machiavelli's viewpoints. Machiavelli suggests that after overthrowing the current monarchy the new ruling Prince should be the sole authority, making all decisions in his own best interests.1 Any members of the old regime should be annihilated, thus preventing them from regaining power.2 The Prince should be distrustful of the citizens over whom he rules, as they will turn against him when times are bad.3 He should, however, not mistreat them, for even though men are generally ungrateful, liars, and deceivers, they will remain loyal if treated well. This is particularly true to those who are in the best positions to oppose the Prince. If you allow them to believe you are interested in their advice, providing you ask them for their opinions on matters that concern you, they'll feel flattered and inclined to please.4 Machiavelli believed in a separation from the church. The church believed in ruling in a humanitarian manner, whereas, Machiavelli felt a secular form of a government would best serve the Prince, rather than that of the well being of the citizens.5 He felt that it is better for a Prince to render severe punishments rather than to be merciful because a death sentence only affects a few, yet it deters crimes which affect many. Machiavelli theorized that it is beneficial for a Prince to be loved by his citizens, but if having to choose between being loved and being feared, it is better to be feared.6 He should avoid being hated which can happen by confiscating the property of his subjects and thereby make him vulnerable to rebellion.7 People tend to get over the death of a family member quicker than the loss of their property.8 Appearing to be stingy would be more advantageous than being generous, less he be taken advantage of.9 He should be deceitful to his subjects in his own best int erests although this should not be evident. The Prince must always display the virtues of mercy, honesty, humanity, righteousness, and religiousness while actually constantly manipulating his subjects.10 Today in this world of downsizing and corporate mergers, a large corporation would have no trouble applying the principals of Machiavelism. Corporate giants acquire smaller, competitive, and/or mismanaged companies in hostile fashion every day. Once they are taken over, the old Board of Directors and the CEO is dismissed, factories and warehouses are closed, plants are consolidated, and hundreds of employees are fired. Some of the upper management may be retained so that the old policies of the company can continue as they were, providing this serves the main interests of the corporation. This maneuver puts the remaining workers in a state of unrest, making them fearful of losing their jobs. They become insecure and unsettled about their future and try to perform more effectively at their jobs. The new management also resorts to dishonesty and may use ruthless scare tactics to keep the faithful work horses from resigning from the company. It is better to retain loyal employees than t o have to go through the time and expense of hundreds of thousands of dollars to hire and train new ones. Some employees may be rewarded for their hard work with insignificant title upgrades and modest increases in wages, thereby keeping them

Callahan chronicals essays

Callahan chronicals essays After reading the Callahan Chronicals I have come to realize that there are many things to be learned in life. This book captured my attention by trying to figure out just what it is that Spider Robinson is trying to pass on to the reader. I have come to the conclusion that the author is trying to portray real life situations with a little twist to keep the reader interested. There is a lesson to be learned from each story. Each visitor that passes through Mike Callahan's bar is teaching the people who are already there a lesson and there is In the Centipede's Dilemma I learned that apperance really dosen't matter. Dink Fogerty led the whole bar to believe that he was incapable of even throwing a dart but then he, dispite his image, used telekinesis (mind over matter) to project the darts into the dartboard with tremendus accuracy. You cannot just sleep on your opponents in real life situations. You must look beyond your opponents apparent capabilities to be a contender in any game, espically the game of life. If you don't you will surely get stepped on throughout your life. If the people at Callahan's didn't catch on to Dink's attribute then he would have walked out of that place knowing that he screwed over the entire bar. I have learned to look for things like this now and will not get decieved eaisly in my lifetime. Fogerty wasn't all that bad though, any bird that can keep their glass filled with gin all the time would be a good companion for mostly anyone. Just Dessert was a good story on how people do not like to be made a fool of. This story's focus was on practical jokers. The message I received from this writing was that people don't like practical jokers even if their motifs are just for fun. You also must be careful because that joke can turn foul and hit you right back in the face. That is exactly what happened to the men who t...

Myself or Others Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Myself or Others - Case Study Example As much as one takes care of self-interest, he or she should have principles. The things that a person does will either positively or negatively influence his or her relationships. No one is an island; we all need people one way or another. Ethical egoism compared to ethical altruism is far apart, the former deals with self-interest while the latter deals with moral obligation to others. In the middle, there is utilitarianism which is independent and neutral. These are the major categories that different cultures fall into. Some cultures believe that, once parents become incapable of taking care of the family it becomes responsibility of the older child. This is a moral obligation that does not allow one to choose, which may lead to two different sentiments. One may take it positively and actually embrace the idea of being responsible for the others, putting his or own interests on hold. This is a great concept only when it does not turn one into a pauper. What am I saying? The fact that one can take care of others, simply means that they can afford to have basics. If they cannot have even mere basics because of others needs then it is morally wrong (Nina R, 2012) Another person may take it negatively, because he or she is just selfish in nature or may not understand why he or she should take responsibility, which is meant for parents. A person ends up doing it but, with a lot of protest. In both cases, the interest of a person may be delayed or even may remain unexecuted. As a result, there are things that may come up; for example, resentment towards the recipients, one may end up being a dwarf when it comes to development and at times because of fate, one may end up having unaccomplished dreams. According to me, an individual is supposed to balance. It is good to help parents and the community at large with regard to your capabilities. One has to ensure his or her comfort