Machiavellianism - Rebecca Kumar Section 8

 

 “it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails." - an excerpt from The Prince

                                              Niccolo Machiavelli- founder of Machiavellianism

Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. He was known for being an Italian Renaissance political philosopher and statement and secretary of the Florentine republic. He was the son of Bernado, a man who used to work in Florentine's highest offices before becoming one of the poorer families. Nevertheless, Bernado was able to access books for Niccolo's reading. Machiavelli was considered a bright young man that quickly rose to a high position. It is still a mystery how he was able to secure a position in the republic's foreign affairs in subject territories. He wrote several writings, one that is quite notable for its controversial contents: The Prince.

This book is really a political essay for a reigning figure ( a prince) to maintain his power/ control over a government state. This is where the book seems a bit dangerous. According to Machiavelli, he believes that a prince should not be subjected to rules; he can use whatever means necessary to maintain power albeit violence and/or war. He should use whatever force to maintain control over his state. Although, he should keep up his appearance; whether it means that he should appear as a kind or benevolent ruler or show himself as a cruel judge doling out extreme punishment as a way to instill fear in the people to dissuade revolts. He prefers to show the cruel side because as you can see in the quote above, he thinks that love is an obligation between people, not an actual bond, that can be broken when humans start thinking selfishly. He knows that fear can straighten people out because they don't want to receive an extreme punishment to happen to them. This is one of the main themes throughout his book, a prince should be "cold" towards his subjects, as this is the proper way to control a government state. After this book, his name was tainted with encouraging dictatorial leadership. The one thing that made his name synonymous with evil, anarchy, and cruelness was the famous Shakespeare's character: the “murtherous Machevil”  Apparently, Machiavellianism is considered part of the Dark Triad in psychology, due to using others, with an evil intention, as a means to one's end. This is in line with narcissism and psychopathy, the other two in the triad.

Most people think of Machiavellianism as a totalitarian evil belief when it is another way to create and maintain a strong government; understanding the background of the view should dispel some of the evil reputations around its name. Although I don't 100% agree with Machiavelli, I can see some practicality in it. He wasn't too fond of being too kind to people, because then those people can prey on said kindness later, and I can understand that. However, I'm not going to go on the opposite extreme end and become a cold, closed-off person. I want to be a healthy balance of the two.  There is some good to being Machiavellianistic. One needs to think about themselves a little selfishly instead of being a giver all the time; it's a dog-eat-dog world out there, and always thinking of others won't boost you ahead (although you'll have a good reputation!) 

For more interesting information and a better summary, watch this video! 

For a more detailed explanation of his life and other works, click this link!

 

Works Cited

“A Quote from The Prince.” Goodreads.Com, www.goodreads.com/quotes/22338-it-is-much-safer-to-be-feared-than-loved-because. Accessed 3 May 2021.

“Niccolò Machiavelli - The Discourses on Livy.” Encyclopedia Britannica, www.britannica.com/biography/Niccolo-Machiavelli/The-Discourses-on-Livy. Accessed 3 May 2021.

Therapy, Harley. “What Is Machiavellianism in Psychology?” Harley Therapy^TM Blog, 11 Oct. 2019, www.harleytherapy.co.uk/counselling/machiavellianism-psychology.htm#:%7E:text=Machiavellianism%20in%20psychology%20refers%20to,two%20being%20narcissism%20and%20psychopathy.

Tim. “Machiavelli Political Philosophy Summary.” Philosophy & Philosophers, 4 Apr. 2013, www.the-philosophy.com/machiavelli-political-philosophy-summary#:%7E:text=Because%20it%20is%20constantly%20under,to%20conduct%20a%20firm%20policy.

“What ‘Machiavellian’ Really Means - Pazit Cahlon and Alex Gendler.” YouTube, uploaded by TED-Ed, 25 Mar. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUlGtrHCGzs.