Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli is perhaps one of the most influential political philosophers in history. Machiavelli's greatest piece of writing The Prince presents a view that is completely paradoxical to the accepted model on how a ruler governs his or her state. Where as most people felt that a ruler should be a kind and adored ruler, Machiavelli holds a very derogatory view on the nature of human beings and feels that rulers would have more security in their position if they were feared rather than loved. After examining the works Niccolo Machiavelli in The Prince, and of Nicholas Fearn in The Zeno and The Tortoise, who justifies many Machavelli's arguments, I feel that Machiavelli had many valid points about human behaviour, however I feel the concept of Machavelli's Prince would not work and although Fern's comments on Machiavelli are justified, resorting to a modern day Prince would result in disaster.

Machiavelli, contrary