Niccolo Machiavelli From the Prince Term Paper

Prince

Published in the early sixteenth century, Nicolo Machiavelli's The Prince is a classic Early Renaissance-era work of political philosophy. Its tenets are still put into practice today by the world's top leaders, including the President of the United States. In The Prince, Machiavelli outlines the basic guidelines for effective leadership. In Chapters 15 through 18, Machiavelli especially focuses on specific leadership qualities and behaviors. Chapter Seventeen is especially notable for its advice against being too compassionate: it is better for a leader to be feared than to be loved, according to Machiavellian ideals. What makes The Prince a quintessential early Renaissance text is its focus on the pragmatic qualities of human leaders, rather than on the divine or moral qualities they should ideally exhibit.This was a radical shift in political philosophy, which was largely based on Church law before that.

Chapter Seventeen of The Prince is entitled "Cruelty and Mercy: Is it Better to Be Loved than Feared, or the Reverse?" Machiavelli concludes that it is definitely better to be feared than loved, for the prince who demonstrates too much mercy or compassion is destined only to be weak or at….....