Machiavelli Aristotle Comparison Essay - 914 Words

Machiavelli and Aristotles writings on man, The Prince and Nichomachean Ethics respectively, and the management thereof contain divergent ideas of how man should act and reason. They have a similar view of the end: greatness, but the means which the two philosophers describe are distinctly different. Machiavelli writes about man as mainly concerned with power and self-assertion, while Aristotle desires a society of individuals, of honorable men. An excess of the power seeking Machiavellians and an undeniable scarcity of genuine individuals have created a contemporary society so out of touch with its own humanity that it desperately needs an application of Aristotles Nichomachean Ethics. Modern-day society overflows with†¦show more content†¦Men spend hours analyzing and absorbing the opinions of others in order to advance their social, economic, and political status in society, hours that are a total waste to the development of inner accomplishment and true innovation. I t is because of such extensive self-deviation that Machiavellis ideas are self-inhibitive, and that society needs a strong dose of Aristotelian ethics. With men of the Machiavellian ilk being in excess comes a society lacking a distinctly individual population; it has few honorable men by the standards of Aristotles writings about the proud man. Today, nearly all politicians conform to public opinion. Because most politics is based on representation, public opinion is typically what decides the opinions of men in charge. Additionally, most men tend to conform to the public opinion as well. The general public tends to swing together on issues, picking a side rather than developing their own individual ideas. Although there are people who develop opinions that cross the political spectrum, there are more people who blindly follow their political party and vote accordingly, never diverging from its ideals. Aristotle, however, advocated sheer integrity. He wanted men to display th eir individual views, for to conceal ones feelings, i.e. to care less for truth than for what people will think, is a cowardsShow MoreRelatedComparing Aristotle And Niccolo Machiavelli Essay1698 Words   |  7 PagesThe term political scientist has been used to describe both Aristotle and Niccolo Machiavelli, but does that term do the work of either man justice? From the outset it is very easy to see the philosophical differences between the two men and their visions of the political system(s). It is fairly obvious that both men were products of their times, Aristotle coming from the end of the Golden Age of Greece and Machiavelli coming from end of Medieval Europe, but in both cases their ideas and advice haveRead MoreEssay on Machiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature1334 Words   |  6 PagesMachiavellis The Prince: Politics, War, and Human Nature [I]t is necessary for a prince to know well how to use the beast and the man. (Machiavelli, The Prince, p. 69[1]). In this swift blow, Niccolà ² Machiavelli seems to strike down many visions of morality put up on pedestals by thinkers before his time. He doesnt turn to God or to some sort of common good for his political morality. Instead, he turns to the individual?more specifically, self-preservation in a position ofRead MoreThe Machiavelli s Political Philosophy1575 Words   |  7 Pagesaddressing ourselves to the most mundane question-why consider Machiavelli in the context of philosophy, least of all, political philosophy? This question dominates any philosophical inquiries of the Machiavelli’s political ideologies. Put differently, do the contributions by Niccolà ² Machiavelli to the various salient discourses in the Western thought, most notably political theory, meet the requisite standard models of academic philosophy? 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