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Niccolò Machiavello (1469-1527) was a figure of the Italian Renaissance. He was a capital figure in politics and in one of his books he wrote that "the end justifies the means" (which should be understood in context )though)
Unfortunately, many careless readers interpreted that any evil action can be justified if it is done for a good purpose. And the word "Machiavellian" is often used to describe a crafty, secret or tricky plan.
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∙ 14y ago
monique robles
Using any means to maintain power
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What word means 'morally flexible'?
Machiavellian, expedient, unscrupulous ?
What does the term Machiavellian mean?
To act in a machiavellian way is to act as though the ends justify the means.Which I realize is not terribly precise, so allow me to be more specific. Niccolo Machiavelli was a political philosopher/writer during the renaissance in Italy. He is most famous for his book (very short) which was titled "The Prince" (which just means ruler.) The general theme of the book is that you should not worry about doing what is right or wrong, and instead worry about doing what is effective.For example. Let us say that there is a ruler of a country, and the peasants of this country are rebelling.A moral ruler would try and negotiate with the rebels, to ensure that bloodshed was kept to a minimum; that way everyone would be as happy as possible.A machiavellian ruler would (probably) get his army together, crush the rebellion brutally, and make examples of the leaders.Machiavelli would argue that the second course of action would be much much better. This way, the rebellion is put down quickly, and more to the point, future rebellions are much less likely. If whenever people rebel you give them what they want, they are likely to rebel again. If every time people rebel you kill them horribly, people lose interest in that sort of thing.In short, in this circumstance, Machiavelli would argue that it was better to kill those people (even though killing is an immoral action) because it would be better for the ruler (and arguably for the country as a whole.)I realize this is a fairly long answer, but I hope it is helpful. By the 16th century, as Italy's troubles mounted, this tendency to free politics from any relationship to religion became an important part of the thinking of a number of distinguished Florentine writers, including the best known, Niccolò Machiavelli. Stimulated by the political crisis of his time, Machiavelli sought to base statecraft or the art of governance on science rather than on Christian principles. He focused on how to preserve the state by any effective means. His acceptance of the principle that the end justifies the means, so bluntly expressed in his most famous work, Il principe (1532; The Prince, 1640), reflects the degree to which the new political environment had changed popular thinking.
What does the Machiavellian mean?
To act in a machiavellian way is to act as though the ends justify the means.Which I realize is not terribly precise, so allow me to be more specific. Niccolo Machiavelli was a political philosopher/writer during the renaissance in Italy. He is most famous for his book (very short) which was titled "The Prince" (which just means ruler.) The general theme of the book is that you should not worry about doing what is right or wrong, and instead worry about doing what is effective.For example. Let us say that there is a ruler of a country, and the peasants of this country are rebelling.A moral ruler would try and negotiate with the rebels, to ensure that bloodshed was kept to a minimum; that way everyone would be as happy as possible.A machiavellian ruler would (probably) get his army together, crush the rebellion brutally, and make examples of the leaders.Machiavelli would argue that the second course of action would be much much better. This way, the rebellion is put down quickly, and more to the point, future rebellions are much less likely. If whenever people rebel you give them what they want, they are likely to rebel again. If every time people rebel you kill them horribly, people lose interest in that sort of thing.In short, in this circumstance, Machiavelli would argue that it was better to kill those people (even though killing is an immoral action) because it would be better for the ruler (and arguably for the country as a whole.)I realize this is a fairly long answer, but I hope it is helpful. By the 16th century, as Italy's troubles mounted, this tendency to free politics from any relationship to religion became an important part of the thinking of a number of distinguished Florentine writers, including the best known, Niccolò Machiavelli. Stimulated by the political crisis of his time, Machiavelli sought to base statecraft or the art of governance on science rather than on Christian principles. He focused on how to preserve the state by any effective means. His acceptance of the principle that the end justifies the means, so bluntly expressed in his most famous work, Il principe (1532; The Prince, 1640), reflects the degree to which the new political environment had changed popular thinking.
What does ahjia mean?
what does Ahjia mean
What does themo mean?
what does the word themo mean
What does it mean if someone says they are Machiavellian?
the end justifies the means
Why do you say Machiavellian villain is there any Machiavellian who is not evil?
no there isn't
Was HItler a Machiavellian leader?
no
Was Henry VIII more of an Renaissance man or machiavellian?
machiavellian because he always favoued himself and many people were scared of him
A cunning or evil person is a?
Machiavellian
What is a word for Excessively harsh?
Machiavellian.
Who is a modern Machiavellian politician?
aaron doyle
What is Machiavellian Theory?
"the end justifies the means"
What is machiavellian principle?
"the end justifies the means"
What are examples of machiavellian tactics?
Machiavellian tactics are more like life principles. For example, be bold, avoid yes-men, user your own judgment, and be aware of ambitious people. Machiavellian tactics involve secrecy and strength to achieve power and political advantages.
Which term fits a cunning or evil person?
Machiavellian
What is a Machiavellian decision?
A Machiavellian decision is one that serves your best interests without regard to how it affects others. Generally speaking Machiavelli's ideas are deemed to be cruel ones.
