ipl-logo

Ideal Leader In Republic And Machiavelli's Prince

1405 Words6 Pages

Feared and Loved
“Addressing the Concept of the Ideal Leader” What is the ideal leader? This is a question that many have attempted to answer throughout history. Everyone who has attempted to answer this question has had different opinions on the topic so the main focus of this essay will be on two of the most prominent pieces that have addressed the concept of the ideal leader and what one would look like. Plato’s Republic and Machiavelli’s Prince are among the most prominent pieces of literature in regards to political science and among the most important pieces of literature to have ever been written. Republic doesn’t focus solely on politics but rather on philosophical contemplation, but Plato still made some important observations regarding …show more content…

Plato said that an ideal leader needed to have the temperance of a philosopher and a genuine thirst for knowledge. He put the education of a leader above everything else, his ideal leader went through a process of fifty years of extensive study before he thought them fit to rule. Throughout those fifty years there are various tests to weed out those who are not intelligent or virtuous enough to rule so that all that would be left are those who are truly fit to be rulers. Machiavelli said that intelligence is the most important virtue that a leader could have. Without intelligence how could a leader make well informed decisions unless he relied completely on the input of an appointed advisor who would quickly take control of the state and replace him as a leader. How can a leader be a successful tactician without intelligence and how can they have an in depth understanding of warfare if they lack the mental capacity? As Machiavelli put it, a leader need to have the cunning of a fox and the strength of the lion. Francis Bacon once said, “Knowledge is power.” So it’s only natural that a leader possesses this power in order to better maintain his rule. Intelligence is likely one of the most common of the virtues between all of the pieces of literature that have addressed the question of the ideal leader, Dekanawidah states in the Iroquois Constitution that the leader must be, “wise, honest, and worthy of confidence,” Dekanawidah clearly had some difference of opinion to that of Machiavelli, but the intelligence of the leader is still a major

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Qualities Of The Prince And Letter From Birmingham Jail

    910 Words  | 4 Pages

    President Obama echo a leadership of both Niccolo Machiavelli "The Qualities of the Prince" and Martin Luther King Jr. "Letter from Birmingham Jail". Machiavelli point of view to become a successful prince was that you must lead your people. He talks about how a prince should appear to his people for authority. There are different types of principles such as war and is it better to be loved or feared.

    Read More

  • Socrates Dbq

    545 Words  | 3 Pages

    Organizations are most productive when individuals work as a whole to gather knowledge and when leaders rule effectively in order to gain respect. A leader rules most effectively when they use cruelty to instill fear in their followers (Source D). For example, a coach on a football team will have better results during practice and games if he coaches so that his players fear rather than love him. A way to do this is if the coach uses harsh punishments, like conditioning, when his players step out of line.

    Read More

  • Machiavelli The Prince Essay

    1310 Words  | 6 Pages

    There are many different views regarding how a prince should rule, but in The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, he advises Lorenzo de' Medici to rule with absolute power and to take extreme measures when necessary to maintain his power. Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513 with the intent of convincing Lorenzo de’ Medici to give him an advising position within the Florentine government. Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician who lived from 1469 to 1527. In the dedication of his book, which was written in 1513, he explains that his writing is the most valuable thing that he has to offer. Through his detailed accounts of history and his ruthless approach to ruling Machiavelli explains why he tends to favor the ancients and has

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Thomas Jefferson

    476 Words  | 2 Pages

    Presidential Persuasive Paper What are some desirable traits for a leader? Political expertise? Knowledge of the arts? Master of law? Talented?

    Read More

  • Theme Of Leadership In Beowulf

    815 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wherever human beings are accumulated together in large numbers, they need leadership. Even a school needs a principle to mentor and escalate the school’s rank. Armies need generals to lead them to a courageous victory. Civilians need governments, captains of industry and intellectual leaders of thought as well. However, There are characteristics common to most great leaders that can be picked out.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Pizan And Machiavelli The Prince

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    Then for Machiavelli he talks about how a prince should show no fear instead for him to show that he is the one with power. That a prince's people should fear him. Both authors go on to talk on how their people react based on the prince and princesse act. The authors then go on to explain how they should view and run their people. Both authors also reflect the fact that the way their people are going to act towards them is mainly based off of how they treat them.

    Read More

  • How Does George Orwell Use Of Power In Animal Farm

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    No matter how intelligent someone is, they are always gonna fail at something. George Orwell uses Napolean as a symbol of Stalin to represent the more intelligence you have the more people you have a chance of winning over. Napoleon wasn’t really the leader but he brainwashed people into making everyone think he was the leader. “Napoleon was a large rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar, the only Berkshire on the farm, not much of a talker but with a reputation for getting his own way’’ (Orwell 16.) Napoleon was independent and went against Snowball to try to become the leader.

    Read More

  • Qualities Of A Good Man In Machiavelli's The Prince

    1284 Words  | 6 Pages

    A leader’s cruelty enables him to make the decisions necessary for the kingdom, while also being miserly to keep the people happy. I think that Machiavelli’s advice provides a sound basis on how leaders today can lead. On other hand, others may argue that Machiavelli’s advice leads rulers astray and rather rulers should be kind and generous because morally that is the right thing to do. No matter the interpretation of how a ruler should lead, Machiavelli's analyst of a leaders provides insight into everyday life and causes leaders today to think about how they

    Read More

  • The Failure Of The Prince In Machiavelli's The Prince

    1169 Words  | 5 Pages

    Clinton’s Failure As “Prince” In Machiavelli 's " The Prince" numerous rules were presented as to what a ruler should do to succeed. From ruling with an iron fist to protecting their country 's citizens, a ruler has no choice but to be on his best mindset at all times. Machiavelli made it very clear that a fit ruler must have military experience, take religion seriously, and have the support of his own people. Usually, leaders follow these rules whole-heartedly to make sure they are represented positively and are taken seriously.

    Read More

  • Plato Vs Machiavelli

    429 Words  | 2 Pages

    He believes anyone can rule a polis if they have virtu. Once a ruler, a simple rule to follow to maintain power and not to be hated by the people, is to “not take away a man’s possession or woman”, Machiavelli believes the people will not feel threaten by following this rule, thus maintaining a stable polis. He expresses how “human nature never changes”, and that people are self-interested and they can turn against you once you are not profiting them. A good ruler must have the strength to do whatever it takes to obtain and maintain power, which essentially means that even if they have to hurt some of the people for the benefit of the popular mass, then they shall do so for the greater cause. Both Plato and Machiavelli believe that there must be a government in order for human kind to survive.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Machiavelli's Ideal Prince

    930 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Machiavelli, ideal prince is a risk-taker who puts a military on action, as the people respect the warrior. An ideal prince thinks for himself rather than relying on others, knows how to read characters, and does not surround himself with flatterers. He lives in reality, not fantasy. He works hard, utilizes his own mind, and makes survival of his guide. The ideal leader is neither loved nor hated, but respected.

    Read More

  • Tom Sawyer Intelligence Quotes

    608 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tom Sawyer in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Intelligence is often a quality that is associated with leadership, but in most cases if a person carries themselves with confidence, then people will follow them. These individuals captivate a whole room and inspire people to do magnificent things or horrendous things. People follow a leader that inspires them and itelligence is not a quality that always inspires. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, leader Tom Sawyer is used to criticize society when it chooses leaders not for their level of intelligence but for qualities such as charisma.

    Read More

  • The Principles Of Leadership In The Prince By Machiavelli

    1238 Words  | 5 Pages

    According to Machiavelli, a successful leader should to exhibit a certain character which is key to their success. He highlights five key qualities that a leader should possess A leader should be feared by the people. According to Machiavelli, it is better to be feared than loved. He believed that the people were less likely to revolt if they feared the leader

    Read More

  • Machiavelli: The Characteristics Of Being A Good Prince

    1526 Words  | 7 Pages

    I. Machiavelli In his famous work the Prince Niccolo Machiavelli exposes what it takes to be a good prince and how only this good price and keep control over his state. There are many different qualities that make a man a good ruler but there are some that are more essential than others. In this work Machiavelli stresses the importance of being a warrior prince, a wise prince, and knowing how to navigate the duality of virtù and vices. Without these attributes there was no way that a prince could hold together their state and their people.

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of An Ideal Person In Machiavelli's The Prince

    1812 Words  | 8 Pages

    They can’t let any situation bring them down and affect their daily life. It helps a leader remain calm in uncertain situations, a courtier when they may face difficult problems in the court of royalty and everyday people when talking to someone they wanted to show respect to. Machiavelli never mentioned his exemplary leader with mental strength, so one can assume it wasn’t a trait he considered significant. However, he did mention false sincerity in paragraphs six and seven. Instead of holding the traits of honesty, trustworthiness and leniency, Machiavelli told one make it only look as though did instead, and when the time came, they could be corrupt, sly and merciless.

    Read More

More about Ideal Leader In Republic And Machiavelli's Prince

Open Document