Plato-Machiavelli Comparison

Danielle butler October 16, 2011 English 101/ O. C 2-Machiavelli Though often presented as twain ideological opposites, person solelyy I find there to be a lot much(prenominal) similarities between Plato and Machiavelli than usually acknowledged. Obviously there argon some sharp contrasts. If one examines the excerpts from Machiavellis The Prince and Platos The Republic, its easy to conclude that Plato believed it to be essential for a govern manpowert attractor to be just, good, and free from corruption.Whereas Machiavellis ideal ruler is less interested about morality, and more about shrewdness, aw arness, and pragmatism.. That organism said, ultimately both work force arrive to the same conclusion all be it through polar means that a rulers primary objective is to urinate and maintain a unified, orderly, and controlled state, with a content population.When it comes to humanity, Machiavelli is considered pessimistic, due to his less than gleaming expectations for the nature of man, as he excretely states For one scum bag in the main say this about men that they are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain.. (46). While Machiavellis opinion of men in general leaves little to be questioned, I find Platos generalized idealism to be far more dubious. In the Republic, it appears that Platos optimisms about human nature, and capability does not acquit to everyone, asserting that many people are better off being ruled by better men.In book 9 Socrates states to Glaucon Tharsymacus did in the case of subjects, that the slave should be governed by his protest harm, but on the ground that it is better to be governed by the portend and the intelligent preferably indwelling and his own, but in default of that oblige from without, in order that we all so far as achievable may be akin and friendly because our governance and guidance are the same? (Plat. Rep. 9. 590d) Both Machiavelli and Plato also recognize that g enerally, most people of the domain are easily manipulated by their senses.Plato illustrates that in his allegory of the cave. Machiavelli makes it clear that he feels this shortcoming to be advantageous for the prince, and it should be exploited when pauperization be, as he states he (the prince) should appear, upon seeing him and hearing him, to be all mercy, all faithfulness , all integrity, all kindness, all religion. And there is zip fastener more necessary than to seem to possess this last quality. And men in general judge more by their eyes than their hands for everyone can see but few can feel. (49).While many may chide Machiavellis approach as disingenuous and manipulative, which it plainly is, how much does this tactic differ from Platos suggestions? In the Republic, Plato suggests that society must be persuaded by a shocking lie to unify the citizens and deepen their fealty to their community as Socrates states How, then, said I, might we contriveone of those ripe falsehoodsof which we were just now speaking, so as by one noble lie to persuade if possible the rulers themselves, but failing that the rest of the urban center? What kind of a fiction do you mean? said he. zero point unprecedented, said I, but a sort of Phoenician tale,something that has pass alonged ere now in many parts of the world, as the poets aver and have induced men to believe, but that has not happened and perhaps would not be likely to happen in our dayand demanding no little persuasion to make it believable.