Posted: September 13th, 2017

450 W6 Debate

450 W6 Debate

Order Description

Engage in a debate to the below around the following question— What is the ideal social and political system? And why?—
Machiavelli:
Monarchy is the ideal political system, as such maintaining control will be used by the powerful tool of religion. The promises of rewards and the threats of punishment ought to be used; they ought to be manipulated when needed to accomplish what a leader is intended. It is human nature to pursue the same things…food, shelter, and thus we must compete. Because of the complexity and cultural environments we ruthlessly pursue our goals, and purposes. It is not how we accomplish them, but rather that it is accomplished.
Sources:
• pp. 1-67 (Chapters I-XIII) of The Prince: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince.pdf

1. Write a paragraph that argues against the above.
2. In a separate paragraph, write in the voice and language of theorist Aristotle, and as that theorist state, “What is the ideal social and political system? And why?”
3. In another paragraph write in the voice and language of theorist Socrates, and as that theorist state, “What is the ideal social and political system? And why?”

Make sure that you answer as a different theorist than Machiavelli.

Machiavelli, High Priest of Power Politics or Tormented Moralist? As you may recall from last week’s lecture, Machiavelli wanted to write something that was useful to the new prince, something that offered rules for conduct in a chaotic political world. Should the new leader strive to be loved or feared? Should the new leader be generous or stingy? Who should the new leader ask to be his advisors? What role do the people play in a political order? Should the leader embrace Christian morality? Should the leader deceive others, keep his promises, do away with enemies? These are some of the questions Machiavelli answers in his masterpiece, the Prince. The answers Machiavelli provided to these questions shocked his readers. The ruler should be feared (not loved), stingy, and he or she should disregard Christian morality in conduct but verbally use Christianity as a mask for ruthless actions. He must know how to act quickly and decisively. Mercenaries were to be avoided because they were disloyal. The leader must know how to both keep and break promises, how to lie, cheat, and kill but also how to appear to be benevolent. After all, people believe what they see and have a hard time knowing exactly what is real. The status of the people in this text, however, is special and limits the actions of the ruler. Yes, the ruler must know how to be tough but he or she must also strive to avoid the hatred and contempt of the people. If the people hate you, you are doomed. If you think living in a fortress will save you from the hatred of the people, you are mistaken; fortresses can easily be your prison, or simply be burned down or bombed. Why does Machiavelli matter? Machiavelli provides us with some useful advice on how to be a leader/ruler. In my view, the need to avoid the hatred of the others is one of his most important principles. For this reason, it would be a mistake to view Machiavelli as a thinker who is fixated only on power. It would also be a mistake to see him a tormented moralist. Rather, Machiavelli is a thinker who created a political ethic, one freed from the straitjacket of Christian morality but one that also reminded rulers that “everything was not permitted” in the realm of politics. Your punishment for crossing this line was your political life, not the death of your soul. For Machiavelli, your political life was more important than anything else.