Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Lessons from "The Prince"
How can we use the "lessons" or the concepts we have learned from "The Prince?" How can we use the concepts of ruling and leadership, given our present government and situation? Are these leadership styles really true and helpful, and should they be used by our leaders today in order for the citizens to follow them?
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I think that the concepts from the prince are more on the conquering and keeping phases. As we know, Machiavelli wrote the book for Lorenzo de Medici whom he thinks has the capability to unite Italy given his luck. Those styles (destroying, extingushing the ruling family, using cruelties and vice, altering the laws and culture, residing there) were most helpful in their times when only one person governs, and he wanted to conquer and keep another state. But will these ways help today when we have democracy as our system of government? I think not. People would not want that kind of governance since they are hoping and wanting for a leader who has the heart to help them and the country, not one who will harm them to make them obey. And the people are those who matter the most since they are the ones who put you in position and the same ones who can take you out.
ReplyDeleteIt would certainly be true and really helpful if you want to stabilize or conquer a state. But we couldn't use it on the present state of our country.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what others say, we are already a unified nation. We can see each other as citizens of the country named Philippines unlike the divided states of Italy. We're already under a "republic" which would be a sort-of final product in Machiavelli's ideology. So doing this again, with the violence-hating, rights-loving citizens of the Philippines wouldn't be only unproductive but destructive.
Cheers.
In my part I'm just basing my answer on "the prince" (pertaining to your question) and not the whole Machiavellian thought, having not read the discourses and the art of war, my knowledge on the thoughts of Machiavelli is severely limited to what I have read and what Sir Nemenzo is teaching us.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a tendency to associate The Prince with pure evil. But there shouldn't be. Machiavelli doesn't promote evil per se; he promotes it only when it is necessary . In fact, he does not approve of a ruler displaying arrogance out of no reason at all; he calls it imprudence.
ReplyDeleteSo if we ask if The Prince's principles can be used, I say yes. Well, not all of course, in our current situation. A nice example: Fortune isn't sufficient for efficient governance; one also needs skill. It's true, isn't it? What The Prince really offers is a practical solution to problems , perhaps from the pessimistic point of view that "men are naturally bad". This assumption might not be true, but assuming so will make a ruler ever-prepared in any event, whether Fortuna is with him or against him.
One more thing: "evil" will always be claimed by religions as something defined absolutely and universally; in fact, evil could be a relativistic concept. Perhaps, even the massacre of thousands can be something beatified by some men. That's why it's really difficult to judge the relevance of The Prince to today's governments, considering that one must argue from a certain set of values that may entirely oppose another's.
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ReplyDeleteDO WE REALLY HAVE A DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT? ISN'T IT AN OLIGARCHY MASQUERADING AS DEMOCRATIC? ARE YOU SURE THE PEOPLEARE HAPPY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT'S INABILITY TO STOP THE PROLIFERATION OF PRIVATE ARMIES, CRIMINAL SYNDICATES, DRUG TRADE, ILLEGAL GAMBLING, HUMAN SMUGGLING, ETC.? CAN A GOVERNMENT WITH NOTHING MORE THAN A BIG HEART CONTROL THE ORGANIZED CROOKS IN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR? THE VALUE OF MACHIAVELLI IS TO FORCE US TO THINK OF BOLD MEASURES TO SAVE A COUNTRY THAT IS FALLING APART.
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Machiavelli wants us to be bold and very strict- or the leaders in the case of "The Prince." That is his way of how to discipline people.
ReplyDeleteYes. I believe that in order for someone to play the crooks' games, one should know how to play it. Machiavelli then gives us guidelines on playing the bad mens' game. In reality, one cannot be too good and at the same time defeat his enemies by his pure goodness. Even those what we called "peaceful" revolutions in history are tainted with some violence. One cannot simply revolt and expect the enemy's conscience to persuade him to submit to the needs of the people; one has to play the enemy's game and assume that he is fundamentally bad, for a good end of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd The Prince is applicable even if the nation is NOT falling apart, or not unified. Machiavelli readily explicates in his work how we should be prepared in any event. Even if we are in a state of bliss, we must know how to handle things in the event fortune turns against us.
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ReplyDeleteMy mistake :)) I said that Machiavelli's concepts can be used and would be very helpful if you want to stabilize or unify a state and then followed it up with we couldn't use Machiavelli's thoughts in the present state of our country.
ReplyDeleteWell, our nation is not really in a stable state right? So.. I'm contradicting myself. :))
But ignoring this mistake.
I think that we couldn't just simply judge that a political thought whether it is from Machiavelli, Aristotle, or Plato can be applied to a certain situation or government just by simply reading their suggestions and thinking about them over and over again. Every political thought could produce both a positive and a negative reaction from the community or for this topic's sake, nation. Whether the pros heavily outweighed the cons or vice versa shouldn't just be decided through what looks good, or what is logically sound or what is efficient in paper, because our perception on these things aren't exactly the sentiments of the majority in the nation and the application of these propositions in the real made by these revered theorists wouldn't necessarily assure their supposed outcomes.
I agree to sir Nemenzo that the value of Machiavelli is not found on his propositions and concepts nor his thoughts about leadership and governance because as far as I know many other political theorists have proposed and argued the same style of governance. For me, the value of Machiavelli and what sets him apart from the others who looks at politics this way (realpolitik? is that right?), is his willingness to take an unconventional step, an earnest drive to publish and explore thoughts that could earn him many negative misconceptions and enemies just to unify his nation.
Cheers.
Thanks for all the reactions and thoughts.
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