Today in our interactive oral about The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli my understanding of cultural and contextual considerations of the work developed through the discussion of the qualities of a prince, the concept of Fortuna, a prince’s public image, and existentialism as it applies to Machiavelli.
As we discussed the qualities of a prince we saw how it compares to Cesare Borgia and his ideal of a prince which was it is better to be feared than loved, protect yourselves before others, to appear religious and be a man of integrity, etc.
In the book the concept of Fortuna was a simile, like a woman, we should be able to control it and we should always prepare for good or bad luck. We also related it to today's news and how Hillary Clinton is at the top of the wheel while Trump was holding on, but in the end, sides were switched because people weren’t properly equipped or prepared, and relied entirely on fortune. We also gave a sports analogy and how with game athletes rely on fortune, for example, a team winning a game by 5 points with 10 minutes left and not trying your best only to realize the other team had caught up with you.
To me, the most important part of a prince’s public image was that appearances matter. For example we talked about President Barack Obama and how he appears to be a family oriented man with compassionate integrity, but then again with the military and how he is also considered a murderer with Osama Bin Laden and that he’s gotta keep up with his appearance so he doesn’t lose his respect as our leader of the United States.
Finally, we talked about existentialism as it applies to Machiavelli. An existentialist is someone who thinks they determine their own fortune follows their own destiny without guiding force and for them, a quote that would be taken from the book is that if a prince falls down he can’t blame anyone but himself.
The interactive oral was essential and supportive because it gave me insight into Machiavelli’s political thoughts, ideas, and opinions on what good leader or prince looks like. Before the interactive oral I’d never considered that princes have to keep up with these traits to not hurt their image.
The Prince was written at the same time of a political turbulence as a realistic enchiridion
to help Lorenzo de’ Medici stay in authority (even though some say that it was a guide on how not to rule). Chapters 1-4 talk about how states can be republics or kingdoms, old or new. Chapters 5-7 talk about how you also need violence to take on the self-governed republics or else they will walk all over you. Chapters 10-14 talk about how you should watch the mercenaries and auxiliaries in which you pay to fight for you because they’re a waste of time. Chapters 16-23 talk about how a leader should celebrate his people. Chapters 24-26 talk about why the princes of Italy have lost their states because they haven’t listened to Machiavelli and his rules. In Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince his views of Free Will, Human Nature, Fortune and Virtue influence his view of the government and how a leader should be.
Free will relates to the existentialist movement because. The ideas presented in the existentialist movement are individual existence, freedom, and choice.“Nevertheless, that our free will may not be altogether extinguished, I think it may be true that fortune is the ruler of half our actions, but that she allows the other half or a little less to be governed by us.” This quote means.
In The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli shows a perspective of controlling/decision an express that is to a great degree not quite the same as that of humanists of his time. Machiavelli trusts the decision Prince ought to be the main expert choosing/making sense of each part of the state and put basically a strategy which would serve his best advantages.“I realize that many people have believed and still do believe that the world is run by God and by fortune and that however shrewd men maybe they can't do anything about it and have no way of protecting themselves. As a result they may decide that it's hardly worth making an effort and just leave events to chance.” this quote means that Machiavelli didn’t really notice that religion wasn’t a big thing that people really followed and that men really can not do anything about it and end up leaving it up to God. Machiavelli most likely did not expect to exhibit an entire and exhaustive philosophy that would clarify human activity and human disappointment; rather, he was just making occurrences of viewing, seeing, or making articulations in light of his own understanding, and possibly, therefore, his clarification is loaded with differences between things.
Virtu is the human vitality or activity that stands in resistance to the fortune even though they work together and cannot operate independently.
“rather than give up on our free will altogether, I think it may be true that Fortune governs half of our actions, but that even so she leaves the other half more or less in our power to control.” Machiavelli’s concept of fortune was the symbol of the Fortuna (the goddess of fortune in Roman religion) which was the turning wheel. The turning wheel was an example of how those who rode at the top had good fortune only to be thrown at the bottom when the wheel turns which is to have bad luck. Machiavelli uses the figure of Fortuna to show the things us as human beings are not able to control.This explains why people's fortunes go up and down. If someone is behaving cautiously and patiently and the times and circumstances are such that the approach works, he'll be successful. But if times and circumstances change, everything goes wrong for him, because he hasn't changed his approach to the match. You won't find anyone shrewd enough to adapt his character like this, in part because you can't alter your natural bias and in part because, if a person has always been successful with a particular approach, he won't easily be persuaded to drop it. [ …] To conclude then: fortune varies but men go on regardless. When their approach suits the times they're successful, and when it doesn't they're not.” To me this quote means
In conclusion In Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince his opinions/points of view of Free Will, Human Nature, Fortune and virtue affect his view on the management and how a pioneer should be.