Hastings, Duffy

Ouano, Louise, Francis

MW 7:30-9:00
POSC 104

How do Princes gain Reputation?

According to Machievelli
Pious Cruelty: Ferdinand of Aragon drove out the Kingdom of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula, and did
many other things while being backed by the Papacy.
To have ones actions inspire a sense of goodness and greatness, like Messer Bernabo of Milan.
A prince must be known as a staunch friend and a thorough foe.
A prince must be resolute and choose sides, for this benefits him in one way or another.
A prince should be careful to never join one stronger than himself in attacking others, else you are at his mercy.
This can be seen in the context of how the Ventians joined with France against Milan.
A prince should show himself as a patron of merit and should honor those who excel at every art. Kind of like
how the Medici family sponsored many of the Renaissance artists and polymaths.
Application to modern systems.
I suppose there isnt an easy way to talk about pious cruelty in modern era times. The one example we could
give would be how The Islamic State of Iran and Syria justify their actions. But to bring that up would be to
give a very corrupted example of pious cruelty.
Germanys currently upholding the EUs economy on its own. Given that the Mediterranean countries have
failing economies that multiple bailouts havent saved.
America during the 20th century is the prime example of a staunch friend and thorough foe.
America has screwed up the whole honoring those who excel at every art ideal. They ditched NASA just so
Obamacare and welfare programs could have more funding.
How are Princes praised or blamed.
According to Machievelli
The qualities that bring a Prince praise include mercy, trustworthyness, wisdom, liberality, and etcetera.
The qualities that bring blame would be greed, atheism, lust, and so on.
This applies to his era because just look at the Borgias.

Application to modern systems

Nowadays its all about public image and putting spins on things.
Basically, advocate for first world social justice stuff and youll look good. Like how Obama does things.
But shame on you if you try and be a strong leader who makes decisions. Granted Putin isnt the best example.
But then theres Kim Jong Un, who fulfills every one of the qualities that bring blame, according to
Machievelli.

Which is better, to be loved or feared?

According to Machievelli
Its preferable to be feared if you have to choose between the two.
Lets bring up the Borgia clan again. They inspired fear during Machievellis time and held immense power.
Being loved is fine and dandy, but its best paired with being feared as well. Just being loved can lead to the
populace becoming a little too apathetic.
Applications in modern day.
For this, lets look at Kim Jong Un. Hes feared because of how he treats the lives of his citizens and because of
his nuclear arsenal.
Another one would be Putin. Quite a few Russian individuals who speak against Putin on a public media
platform seem to disappear.

In what way must Princes keep faith?

According to Machievelli
A Prince should understand how to use the nature of both man and beast. This means that he should understand
human nature and the adavistic part of humans as well.
As Machievelli puts it, a prince should have the strength of a lion and the cunnning of a fox. But, he should not
rely solely on just one of them.
A prince should be careful of his every action, for even the slightest word or emotion can lead to unintended
consequences.
A prince only needs to seem like he has all of Machievellis good qualities.
Application to modern times
Most modern politicians are very well aware of how to put spins on things and of how to manipulate the
populace through their understanding of the nature of man and of mans adavistic side.
But then theres the empty suit types that dont seem to do much else aside from look pretty, speak nicely, and
watch their public image carefully.
Why must Princes avoid being hated and despised.
According to Machievelli
To keep the nobles happy and the peons content/complacent.
To keep the idea of a rebellion or coup detat at bay.
Application in modern day times.
Philippine politics kind of exemplifies this in a way. Its all about keeping the wealthy families well greased and
the populace complacent. Well, thats kind of a warped over-simplification of things, but the point still stands.
Pretty much how America works too. Its corrupt, but it keeps the head in power, the nobles happy, and the
populace non the wiser.