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Essay / Ideas of Virtue in Machiavelli's The Prince - 639
Machiavelli has a consistent teaching on virtue in The Prince, and that is that virtue is not something that consists of being the highest good, but rather something that is so amazing it deserves the praise of others. The idea of this virtuous act is based on two main key concepts, which are justice and power. Even though virtuous meaning from good people was a good thing and was meant to make things right, it was really whoever had the power or could manipulate the virtue who had the power. This is the dominant mindset that has controlled the world for at least two millennia. The way the world evolves, virtue justice translates into people's inherent desire to do what is right, not just because they think they should, but because they know that 'they should do it. Justice based on virtue is just as powerful, if not more powerful, than justice based on power. Being a good person is not easy. We have many incentives to be selfish or uncaring, even petty and cruel. Especially since no one is looking over our shoulder. Many believe the government has put us on the right track, if only by looking over our shoulders. The government should not be so authoritarian as to remove you from decisions, but neither can it be indifferent to the point of being neutral on matters of virtue. Machiavelli introduces the question of wondering if the virtue of the common man is the same. like the virtue of statesmen. It is questionable whether statesmen should be held to the same standards as ordinary individuals. Morality can be contextual, in which the context of interstate relations is different from the context of interpersonal relations. As a result different...... middle of paper ...... The American public doesn't like him, he made decisions that helped the country. Although he was a Democratic leader, Clinton signed a welfare reform bill, even though both parties in Congress were more favorable to Republican views on the bill. He was able to work with them to make a decision in his favor. Machiavelli's The Prince is essentially a manual for leaders. In Machiavelli's ideal world, this is how a leader should take control to be an effective leader. Instead of the common phrase “Make love, not war,” the point of view of this book is “Make war, not love.” “When princes thought more about convenience than weapons, they lost their states.” This quote from the Prince perfectly illustrates Machiavelli's rough vision of the leadership of leaders. Once they become soft, they will not succeed, so the best thing to do is to be good at war..