FREE Machiavelli - Feared and Loved Essay.

Chapter 17: Better to be Feared Than Loved Sure, every politician wants to be popular; we want to be seen as a friendly, generous, considerate, thoughtful, accessible, caring and compassionate. We want photographs and news stories to capture us helping people, serving the community, reaching out, smiling as we hand over the cheque to the local charity.

Machiavelli answers his own question, arguing that a prince is much safer being feared than being loved. Inducing fear upon his subjects with cruelty will keep them united and loyal. Those who are fearful of a person of any authority are more inclined not to cross the boundary of disrespect, for fear of punishment.

Another major topic that Machiavelli discusses regards whether it is better for a leader to be feared or loved. Machiavelli explains “that since men love at their own convenience and fear at the convenience of the prince, a wise prince should found himself on what is his, not on what is someone else’s” (68).

In actuality, Machiavelli means no such thing. He says that there are times when the common good outweighs the means, and the morality of a ruler’s actions. He also says that you cannot be loved by everyone, so try to be loved and feared at the same time, but of the two, choose to be feared.

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli presents the arguments for why it is better for a ruler to be feared. Ideally, a leader should be both feared and loved but such a balance is impossible to achieve. Fear, being stronger and more enduring, is the emotion on which a leader should base his control over the people.

On whether a rulershould strive to be loved or feared, Machiavelli notes that it is desirable tobe both loved and feared; but it is difficult to achieve both and if one ofthem has to be lacking, it is much safer to be feared than loved (Machiavelli 1988,p.59). Machiavelli’s defense on this view is based on the assumption thathumans are selfish.

Throughout Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, there are numerous references to the emotion of fear in human nature and it’s effects as one of the defining principles of human interaction. It helps set up a foundation of sorts for some of the main points of Hobbes’ liberal view on the governing body of society and a basis for the “Social Contract Theory”.

Get an answer for 'Is it better for a ruler to be feared or loved and why?' and find homework help for other The Prince questions at eNotes.. Machiavelli is not saying that being feared is good.

The Tempest: A Case Study for Machiavellian Political Theories.. He states, “as it is difficult to combine love and fear, if one has to choose between them it is far safer to be feared than loved” (Machiavelli, pg. 65). That being said, he does not shy away from highlighting the importance of not being hated.

Get an answer for 'Arguing against Machiavelli, why is it better to be loved than feared? ' and find homework help for other The Prince questions at eNotes.

Nicc lo Machiavelli Analysis Essay examples. 815 Words 4 Pages.. The choice between being feared or loved is one a leader will have to make in a situation in which he is interchangeable, I do not to agree with the fact that being feared is better than being loved, and in this essay will discuss the pros and cons too both in the long term and.

Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli on Government and Those Who Govern Machiavelli, in “The Prince” and Lao-Tzu in “”Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching” have very opposing views. In their writings, they differ on topics such as qualities of a leader, functions of government, and human nature and the world around them.