Within his work The Prince, Machiavelli presents a dual perspective on government that aims to focus the direction of perspective beyond the usual leader-to-leader approach we have seen previously. Breaking with tradition, Machiavelli's idea that "to adequately understand the behavior of rulers one must be a member of the lower classes" introduces a whole new set of problems for the reader that introduces the dynamic between the people and the prince. (page 6). This relationship creates a kind of dual-level point of view, as neither the people nor the prince have a complete perspective. So people are not predictable, and it is this statement that truly individualizes Machiavelli's political theory. The introduction of people's perspectives breaks with traditional political theory in that it allows for a kind of real-world analysis and contextual accuracy that is not possible in theoretical and ideological discussions of government: relevant historical examples and personal experience replace moral arguments on goodness in Machiavelli's realistic doctrine. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayOne of the main effects of such a populist point of view is its concentration on the actual realistic relationship of the people with the ruler. Rather than “build imaginary republics and principalities that have never existed and could never exist,” Machiavelli chooses to recognize that “the gap between how people actually behave and how they should behave is so great that anyone ignores everyday reality in order to live until he reaches an ideal he will soon discover that he has been taught how to destroy himself" (p. 48). Through the prism of this wisdom Machiavelli illustrates many significant aspects of the reality of governing a population. The most important of these characteristics are the omnipresent ideas of fear and the fragile and fallible nature of control. Machiavelli examines the conditions around him to illustrate these principles of leadership: speaking of the king of Spain, Machiavelli observes that the king "is always plotting and carrying out great deeds, which have always kept his subjects bewildered and amazed, waiting to see what will be their outcome? He never left space between one [deed] and another so that one could continuously plot against him" (p.68). In this way the population can be governed without fear of revolts. “As for the feared effect, since men decide for themselves whom to love, and rulers decide whom to fear, a wise ruler should rely on the emotion he can control” (p.53). This idea radically breaks with previous ideas of social control that we have seen, because its illustration is based on both reality and the population's opinion of the ruler, rather than the ruler of the population. Machiavelli also uses population analysis when instructing what to do regarding mixed principalities. He argues that "one of the best policies is for the new ruler to go and live in his new territories. This will make his hold on them more secure and more lasting. As a result [the subjects] have more reason to love." you, if they behave well, and, if they don't behave well, all the more reason to fear you" (p.9). The recognition of these realities as institutions and cultural traditions specific to the region is a conception achieved from the point of view of the population , a conception that has been overlooked in previous political philosophies with their much vaguer and more malleable citizens Machiavelli affirms character with every one of his.
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