The Prince by Phoebe

Machiavelli certainly isnt some goody-two-shoes when it comes to politics. His ideas are scheming and his suggestions (though not all) are free from moral obligations. He thinks that it is inevitable for rulers to be cruel at times, and justifies such cruelty when it serves a 'greater good'. It was hard for me to agree or accept some of his radical ideas, and yet, history and present situations seem to favour his arguments.

"It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity"
This doesnt mean that rulers can be selfish and rapacious and do evil to promote their own self interests. It means politics is all about the delicate balance between the black and white, the good and the evil. Hard-handed means are justified when they achieve peace and stability more effectively. As Machiavelli puts it,"he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allows disorders to rise, from which follow murders or robberies, for these are wont to injure the whole people".

And of course being kind and benign is not the image that rulers want to protray to their people, as Machiavelli insists that 'fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails'.Yet this doesnt imply that they should allow themselves to be hated either. One important lesson for wannabe politicians to learn would be the art of pretending, because it is "unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities...but it is very necessary to APPEAR to have them". It is all a very tricky business, to be loved and feared at the same time, but Machiavelli provides a most ingenious way of achieving this-"to leave affairs of reproach to the management of others, and keep those of grace in their own hands".

Then there are arguments that i find almost impossible to reason with, like the one that rulers have to submit to the humours of the people, soldiers and nobles and gratify them, instead of incalcating goodness in them. i guess i'm more inclined to agree with Plato in the sense that the best service a government can provide for its people will be one that builds up good values in them. Rules and regulations can only do so much to keep a country stable, but when it comes to problems that bureaucracy alone cannot solve, ethos and societal values will be what keeps a country together.