1st+Machiavelli+Chapter

Summarize what Machiavelli believes that a prince ought do and why.

Machiavelli believes that a prince has to appear to be good to the people in his kingdom. A prince needs to uphold what is virtuous. However, Machiavelli argues that a prince cannot preserve his state so long as all that he does is good. A prince needs to employ unethical tactics in order to maintain power over his state. He needs to do this while maintaining the appearance of doing good. - Prinston Varghese

Like Prinston proclaimed, Machiavelli believes that although a prince who always does good would be "ideal," in real life always doing good would be impossible. Therefore, a prince may sometimes indulge in vices to bring him "security and well-being," but this does not mean that he should abuse his powers - a prince should only resort to such measures when absolutely necessary -Veronika Pashkina

A prince should not concern himself with what is "ideal" or "good", but stick to reality, because the two are not necessarily compatible. Being good does not lead to a stable government because the people over which the prince rules aren't necessarily good themselves. He shouldn't intentionally indulge in vices, but if those vices are necessary, he needs to know how to use them for his own interests. - Choong Hwa Shin

Miachiavelli believes that a prince never takes one side or the other. He stays nuetral and takes in from either sides (good or bad). A prince should do what makes his people serve him, either to be loved or feared.-So Jeong Kim Being loved makes a prince vulnerable. People will betray the ones they love in times of hardship and despair. Being hated isn't desirable either because people don't listen to the ones they hate. The best, given a choice of being feared or loved, is being feared because people are less likely to betray someone they fear because they are worried of what that person will do to them if they don't obey.-Jay Meisner

Machiavelli believes that a prince needs to recognize that we don't live in a perfect world and that "good" will not always prevail. At the same time, the common people expect him to always be "good". Because of this paradox, a prince must understand ideals so that he can use them. If a prince must do "bad" in the best interest of his state, he must do so wisely, so that he appears to be good. Acting in this way is the "best" for everyone because it creates stability between the governing and the people. -Erin MacDougal

Unlike an ordinary person who may always try to be "good", or who may give in to "evil", a prince has to recognize both, and he needs the ability to use either one depending on the situation. He needs to have the //knowledge// to utilize each. Hence, this is the prince's power; appearing good but possibly using evil is his means to keeping the state stable and united. This power is what he needs to keep his authority. -Joy Sales

Machiavelli summarizes his own thoughts on the matter of "good" and "evil" in one concise sentence: "the man who neglects the real to study the ideal will learn how to accomplish his ruin, not his salvation." In this, we can see his belief that being good is not an absolute, and princes cannot expect to be when, as he notes, their subjects have no like-minded expectations. Thus, Machiavelli concludes that princes should use "something resembling vice" as a tool, because "if you follow it, [it can lead] to your security and well-being". - Anna Merkoulova