For example, in a fight, a warrior should use rectitude to know when to strike so he may kill his opponent at the exact time it was meant to happen. Courage is doing what is right with the account of righteous and rectitude. Benevolence or mercy is believed to be the highest attribute of the human soul because even though men are infused with the power to kill, they should also be able to show love, sympathy and pity for others. The fourth virtue of Bushido is politeness. Politeness should be shown as a kind gesture of the feelings of others.
Since it is a one man territory, he has the power to make and break laws all by himself. He has control over almost everything that involves his state and people. Hiero himself is aware of this issue and knows that he is the most powerful and wealthiest man of that state, but he reasons this by saying, unlike private men, a tyrant’s expenses are much larger than those of private men. “Now for the tyrant a multiplicity of possessions is less adequate for his necessary expenditures than for the private man” (Ch.4, 9). Hiero goes on to say that tyrants need all these money to guard their lives and assure their safety.
He argues that a good and strong princedom is one that can sufficiently battle out with any military power in the battle fields without relaying to allies. A good prince is one with a good war plan and who understands the war terrains. More so, he should not be over generous to his subjects as this may cause greed which may lead to exhaustion of resources. A prince should exhibit a love-fear kind of attributes, as it is better to be feared than loved but should exhibit caution with interfering with his subject 's properties. A prince should keep his words and avoid contradicting aspects in his reign so as to have respect among his subjects.
According to Machiavelli, the same should go for war. By getting revenge you can defeat your opponent and prevent the act from happening again. “The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.” In Machiavelli’s “The Prince” one of the most foul characters and political leaders was Cesare Borgia. To earn his ruthless reputation Cesare beheaded one of his henchman and put the head on public display to send a message to his subjects. This is a valid tool for a leader to maintain order Machiavelli claims.
In Document H, it is stated that a citizen who is mindful of the welfare of their state and is less concerned with their own sense of well-being is a good citizen. “we do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics is a man who minds his own business; we say that he has no business at all” (Document H). One can infer from the quote that Pericles believes that citizens who stay informed with the political well-being of their state have more “business” than an uninformed, self-concerned citizen. The role of the average citizen in Han China is considerably different. It is stated in Document J that a man who practices good virtues and has a moral inclination to do good works for his fellow citizens is able to effectively impact the government.
Loyalty and faithfulness are traits expected of all mankind. They are the virtues that embody the highest ideals of a modern day person. Even from the ancient Greeks, loyalty demanded of human beings. However, during that time of era, these traits were only expected from certain people. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the basic standards of loyalty and faithfulness are varied depending on the individual’s gender and relationships.
REAL-POLITIK: THE END JUSTIFIES THE MEANS “Let a prince therefore aim at conquering and maintaining the state, and the means will always be judged honourable and praised by everyone.” “For where the very safety of the country depends upon the resolution to be taken, no consideration of justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, of glory or of shame, should be allowed to prevail. But putting all other considerations aside, the only question should be; what course will save the life and liberty of the country?” Machiavelli emphasized that being a good politician doesn’t always necessarily equate to being a good person. However, Machiavelli never praised immorality. He was not nihilistic, and he did not suppose that there was no value in
Kant’s ethical theory Kant’s ethical theory relies on the principles that the only one thing, which is good without qualification, is a good will. In Kant’s term, a good will is a will, where all taken decisions are fully determined by the Moral Law or moral demands. He states that all talents of the mind, which can include intelligence, wit, judgment, courage and others can be definitely named as good traits, however, at the same time these qualities can also become extremely bad on the condition that the will of using them is not good. Kant believed that some kinds of actions should be prohibited, such as murder, theft or lying, even though the consequences of these actions would lead to bringing more happiness than the alternative (Bonevac,
Throughout The Prince, Machiavelli described the decisions a wise prince would make in many situations. He stated that a wise prince would surround himself with intelligent advisors, and listen to them carefully, but make his own decisions and stick to them. A wise prince would win the goodwill of the people, and keep his citizens dependent on him and on the state. This is imperative because the citizen's goodwill is the best defense against both domestic and foreign threats. When he stated, “He must therefore be a fox to discern toils, and a lion to drive off wolves,” (46) he expresses that a prince should be able to discern whether to use force or deceit when dealing with different situations.
Machiavelli’s The Prince (2012) is often misunderstood as a sort of “manual” for tyrants, mostly due to his infamous “better to be loved than feared or feared than loved” quote (p. 59). This oft-cited but tenuously understood quotation seems to have secured its place in history as the go-to phrase when discussing cruel and dictatorial leadership. The “feared/loved” quote, however, was not written to condone or promote tyranny. According to Machiavelli (2012), a leader always should “wish to be both,” while recognizing and accepting the fact that it is “difficult to unite [love and fear] in one person” (p. 59). Because of this, and, because of his obvious understanding of human nature, Machiavelli suggests that in the end it is safer to