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Machiavelli love and fear
Machiavelli love and fear
Machiavelli on use of fear
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In Machiavelli’s “Prince” he discussed the use of fear as a political tool to maintain the state. He argued that fear when properly directed could generate loyalty and bolster the support of the government. He went on to write that fear was only powerful when wielded with care and when abused could quickly become counterproductive and result in being hated by the people. Fear was potent because it was the prince’s creation. Unlike love that is given to the prince and can easily be taken away, fear is the prince’s tool and his alone. “…men love at their own free will but fear at the will of the prince…” Politicians throughout history have used fear tactics with varying degrees of success. For the purpose of my argument I will compare Machiavellian concepts on the use of fear with contemporary examples to prove its benefits particularly in the consolidation of power and promotion of obedience. Machiavelli went to great lengths in his writing to outline rules governing the use of fear. He made the distinction between being feared and being hated. To be feared meant to be respected and obeyed. Being hated however spawned discontent and revolt. The unique strengths of fear can be seen in 1950’s America where fear played an economic as well as political role in shaping governmental policy and public opinions. The 1950’s was in many ways a period of uncertainty. American’s feared the external menace of Communism and the looming threat of nuclear war, but most of all they feared each other. The proliferation of the military industrial complex in the Eisenhower administration coupled with anti-communist media frenzy caused Americans to be exceedingly suspicious and entertain the possibility of spies being in there midst. Many politici... ... middle of paper ... ...ctively it could be a prince’s most powerful tool. Fear was a creation that could be used to manipulate the people in the best interest of the government and strengthen a prince against all threats foreign and domestic. Fear has taken many shapes throughout history and has been instrumental in the construction of many modern states. From the beginning of civilization to the present, fear has been left unchanged as a basic human emotion and powerful ally to those willing to wield it. Works Cited Ranzer, Marci,”McCarthyism”Encyclomedia,2007, Accessed 1/24/10, http://www.encyclomedia.com/mccarthyism.html USA Patriot Act, HR 3162 RDS, 107th Congress, October, 24, 2001, Accessed 1/24/10, http://epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html Simkin, John, “Nazi Germany”, Spartacus Educational, 2001, Accessed 1/24/10 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERjews.htm
Many empirical things can often still be debated and refuted by experts, but there is a general admittance to the idea that power is the root of many evil things. In all fairness, we must admit that a many evil things can in their essence, be great. And that is one of the many theories advanced by Niccolo Machiavelli in his well-known work, The Prince. The Prince serves a dual purpose of both teaching a person how to attain power, but also how to retain it. Incredibly enough, history has proven most of Machiavelli’s findings and theories to work well, while some have failed to effectively secure power for the rulers who did, in fact try them. His work, does obviously highlight one main fact, which is, that power is a well sought-after attribute, and most who attain are willing to do whatever is necessary to keep it.
Machiavelli’s advice to a prince who wanted to hold power is that they have to instill fear into the people. He believes fear is important because it restrains men, as they fear being punished. Love will never help you hold power because it attaches people to promises. Machiavelli believes that since humans are wicked, they will break these promises whenever their interests is at stake. Men will devote everything to you if you serve their interests, but as soon as you need help, they turn on you. Therefore, creating fear in them is the perfect strategy. I feel like Machiavelli is being sarcastic and did this to get attention. He knew his way of thinking was different and would get the attention of the people.
...d with fears and those fears rule us. They can make us confess to things that are not true or can make us accuse other to take blame off ourselves. The fear incited by others and our governments is a dangerous thing that we should be aware about.
Throughout history rulers have used force in the pursuit of the acquiring more power and wealth, regardless of the consequences. The use of force may lead to the fulfillment of ones current interests or goals, but continued abuse of this power in pursuit of ones own interests has historically lead to the downfall of those in power. In the text The Prince Machiavelli says, “It is much safer to be feared than loved, if you cannot have both”. This quote suggests that when given the choice it is better for a ruler to use his power, through force if necessary, and be feared than to do what is right for the people and lose everything. In Sophocles’ Antigone, Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War, and Sophocles’ Republic the analogy of the double-edged
In his work The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli explores the complex relationship between a ruler and his people, but ultimately comes to the conclusion that the people, because they are crucial to the well being of the country, are to be manipulated in order for a country to thrive. In order to manipulate effectively one must keep the people oppressed, but not to the point of inspiring hate, and only when that balance is achieved is when a ruler can successfully manipulate their people.
and when it (danger) comes nearer to you they turn away? (649). Machiavelli reinforces the Prince?s need to be feared by stating: ?? men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared?? (649).
Times change and people come and go, but fear is a constant, and in “The Great Fear” by J. Ronald Oakley, he describes the wave of fear that occurred in the 1950s. In 1692, the townspeople of Salem were scared into believing that they were among witches, and in 1950’s the “Red” Scare destroyed thousands of peoples lives that were accused of being Communists. Those accused in both witch hunts were put on trial, and while many were killed in Salem, the Red Scare had blacklisted those persecuted.
When examining the totalitarian government of 1984 by George Orwell, a direct connection can be drawn to the motives and ideals associated with Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince. Machiavelli’s support of the political necessity as a means to remain in power resonate with the government whose aim is to “extinguish once and for all the possibility of independent thought” as a way to ensure complete political orthodoxy within the country (193). Specifically, Machiavellian thought plays an important part in 1984 as its ideas on reputation, revolution, avoiding hatred, and the use of fear to control a populace are used by INGSOC in order to maintain complete control throughout the story. In the following paragraphs, the connections between these two works above will be elaborated on in an attempt to show the Machiavellian influence of the government in 1984.
A leader such as the President is a perfect example for a topic such as being feared over being loved. Looking at the Bush administration and the choices that were made during his presidency showed that he chose to be feared rather than to be loved. Being loved required being accommodating and to be feared meant being unilaterally confrontational. Over the course of Bush’s presidency it can be seen that the majority of the time he chose the confrontational route and used his power to keep it that way rather than going out of his way to be accommodating and loved. Neil Kinkopf states “Moreover, the public also rejected the Bush Administration’s view of presidential power by electing Barack Obama. No more fear-based view of presidential power; which is to say, the public has rejected Machiavelli.” Jack Goldsmith who was the head of legal counsel for a year during the Bush Administration states that “even if the war in Iraq had gone well, the President and the President’s approach would have failed because he focused too much on “hard power””. In the instance of Presidency and the Bush administration, Machiavelli is wrong, it is better to be a president that adopts an accommodationist model than a president that is unilaterally
The Dangers of Fear Irish Playwright, George Bernard Shaw, once said, “The worst sin toward our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.” Inhumanity is mankind’s worst attribute. Every so often, ordinary humans are driven to the point where they have no choice but to think of themselves. One of the most famous examples used today is the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night demonstrates how fear is a debilitating force that causes people to lose sight of who they once were.
Fear is an emotion, which is impossible for humans to not face in their lives. Some may experience that fear because of their government. When there is fear throughout the society, it keeps the people within that society obedient and reliant on the government. The constant sense of terror is what could keep people hopeless and scared to express their own thoughts and beliefs. The role of violence is used by the totalitarian government of 1984 by George Orwell to gain complete control over their citizens by using violence physically, psychologically, and motivationally towards the people of Oceania.
In the words of Bertrand Russell, “Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom” (Russell). Fear causes many problems in our lives. Fear influences many of a person’s actions and decisions. However, people usually regret the decisions or actions they made out of fear. Also, these actions and decisions can cause problems for those people in their future. Fear is a harmful emotion, for it clouds people’s judgement, disables them from taking action, and causes them to make decisions that they will regret later.
According to Niccolo Machiavelli “if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved” (225). Machiavelli was the first philosopher of the Renaissance, and wrote The Prince which argued that leaders must do anything necessary to hold on to power. The main reason it is better to be feared is because men are evil, rotten and will only do things that benefit themselves. Men only think of themselves and it is for this reason fear can control them and keep them loyal to a leader. Since loyalty through love can be easily broken because it involves no punishment, loyalty through fear is the better choice because it involves the “dread of punishment, from which [the subjects] can never escape” (Machiavelli 226). Machiavelli goes on to say that the great leader Hannibal took control of his immense army, because the soldiers saw Hannibal as a fearsome and cruel person, thus, making them loyal to him. Machiavelli in addition gives an example of a leader who chose not to be feared and cruel: “Scipio, an outstanding man not only among those of his own time, but in all recorded history; yet his armies revolted in Spain, for no other reason than his excessive leniency in allowing his soldiers more freedom than military discipline permits”(226). Failure to be cruel and fearsome will cause a leader to lose control of his soldiers, and it will cause the leader’s soldiers to revolt. Hannibal was the better leader; even though he was cruel, he was more merciful in reality than Scipio because he did not allow any disorders to happen.
...ver, according to Machiavelli, these short-comings are justified since they preserve the state’s overall goal. In addition, if administrators at both local and national levels act in accordance with the state, this preserves the functionality of society as a whole. Not acting in accordance with the will of the state causes turmoil to erupt and a chink within the everyday businesses of life. Thus, it is consideration of these points that Machiavelli’s philosophy would purport that the tyrannical grip of the state ought to reign supreme in contemporary society.
Emotions, something we all feel everyday. From happy to sad from loved to feared, these emotions drive us to do things everyday. This leads us to Machiavelli, a staunch defender of totalitarianism and he is famous for his work, the Prince. The Prince was a guideline to how a prince should lead his state. Machiavelli states, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” A prince is better feared than loved because fear will give him more authority and fear lasts longer than love. A prince will have more authority over his people because when a prince is feared and he sets his rules people will do their best to avoid violating these rules. There are several things we fear. We fear pain, we fear suffering, we fear failure, and we fear death. According to Statisticbrain.com, 68% of America fears death.