Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) held various government positions in Florence, Italy, when the Medici family was in power. The Prince, from which this viewpoint is taken, is his most famous book. Machiavelli writes to give advice to a prince (or any ruler) about the realities of politics. Beginning with the assumption that the only goal of a prince is to gain and maintain power, Machiavelli suggests using honesty, deceit, love, cruelty, religious values, and hypocrisy to reach the goal of power. In other words, the acquisition and maintenance of power should not be based upon moral principles, but upon expedience.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. Machiavelli writes that many imaginary kingdoms and imaginary rules of politics can be found in books, but he is going to discuss the truth of the matter. What is the relationship between idealism and...