Niccol? Machiavelli - The Qual :: essays research papers

Machiavelli&8217s views on humankind nature are unjust nevertheless, his philosophy, or rather instructions, is reasonable in capturing the selfishness of men. As written in The Qualities of the Prince by Machiavelli, &8220Men are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain and while you work for their good they are completely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons&8230 when danger is off the beaten track(predicate) away but when it comes nearer to you they turn away. Machiavelli&8217s generalization demonstrates his low opinion on the nature of men because he views them as selfish and deficient in both loyalty and honesty.Machiavelli&8217s general opinion that men are selfish contains an underlying truth to the human nature. Inside every human being, there is a sense of selfishness that lay dormant until given cause to awake. It is a truth that many will not be willing to retain or acknowledge. Many wil l even say that there are people who are or were selfless in their actions. Yes, there are, but when the military post comes, normally no one can take away their selfishness to still act like &8220saints when they cannot even save themselves.Selfishness is an ugly trait among people however, disloyalty is believably the most offensive trait found in human nature. Machiavelli&8217s says, &8220when it comes nearer to you they turn away, which clearly establishes where a person&8217 true loyalty stands. consignment is more consistent to oneself rather than to others. Past events in history supports Machiavelli&8217s opinion with Julius Ceasar and Brutus as an example. Brutus&8217s loyalty to his most trusted friend, Caesar, went astray when a problem arose among his Roman peers, and the betrayal was committed against Caesar which resulted in death. A lesson worth learning from this example is that a person&8217s loyalty can never be trusted unless it is proves to stand strong throug h any situations. As Machiavelli wrote, &8220a prince must be cautious in believing and in acting&8230. His instructions for the prince stand true for almost everyone nowadays.Unlike disloyalty, dishonesty, according to Machiavelli, is an important factor in the relationship of all human beings. Machiavelli wrote, &8220princes who have accomplished salient deeds are those who have cared little for keeping their promises and who have known how to manipulate the minds of men by shrewdness and in the end they have surpassed those who laid their foundations upon honesty.