Niccolo Machiavelli's Influence On Popular Culture

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2015-090439Machiavellian Philosophy
Although many philosophers have managed to maintain relevant over the years, very few have managed to have modern implications with their work as well. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) is one of those few, with his works, namely The Prince, actively influencing politics, upper management, and even popular culture. The Prince influences politics because it is a work that discusses how to gain and retain power. It influences upper management for similar reasons. And it finally influences popular culture through characters in media and mental health. Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince influences politics, upper management, and popular culture.
First of all, The Prince was published in 1532. It was written as …show more content…

Machiavelli wrote it for the new prince, Lorenzo de Medici. The intentions of the book were to give insights and advice into the political minefield. Machiavelli’s goal with this work were to both gain the respect of Lorenzo, and to, hopefully, make a competent ruler. It was written in Italian instead of Latin so the young prince could actually read and make use of it. In this manual of sorts, Machiavelli outlines what makes a good leader and how to gain and retain power. He also believed that the ends justified the means (e.g. if one is looking to achieve a position of power it is a just action to murder someone who might take that from you). However, contrary to popular belief, Machiavellian philosophy is not just about doing whatever it takes to get and keep power, it is more about what makes a good leader …show more content…

On occasion in order to obtain a promotion one must obliterate another’s chance at the same position, whether it be through blackmail or whistleblowing. This lines up with Machiavelli’s believes that one must do whatever it takes to gain power and that the ends justify the means, In addition, in some extreme situations, a CEO may need to eliminate the competition or someone threatening the ways of the business. This could be as simple as publicly undermining them or humiliating them or it could be as extreme as killing them. A Machiavellian CEO would likely eliminate the threat no matter the costs, in order to keep power. However, someone with that power who isn’t Machiavellian would likely plan for the aftermath and how to keep the company on

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