Machiavelli

In the opening pages of this piece, it seems as if Machiavelli is insistent on warfare. It is clear that he finds war to be extremely important, but it seems as if warfare should be the only thing that a prince should be thinking about. It’s almost as if he is saying that to be a prince, you have to concentrate on war, and only war because that is the most important thing of all, “A prince, therefore, must not have any other object nor any other thought, nor must he take anything as his profession but war” (Machiavelli 36). I took this statement as basically saying, if you can’t place warfare at the top of your list, then you should not be a prince. He is also saying that it is extremely important as a Prince, to be armed, and if you are not armed then you are automatically not liked, “For among the other bad effects it causes, being disarmed makes you despised” (Machiavelli 38). I find these opinions to be very odd. Although being prepared for war is very important, I don’t think it should be the basis of a Prince’s duty. I also do not think that not being armed would make a prince less liked. I have to disagree with what Machiavelli is saying. War should not be the basis for anyone’s duty whether it is a prince, a president, or any other national leader. As I said before, being prepared for it is important, because it could happen at anytime and there needs to be an organized plan for if and when it happens, but to base principles upon it is absolutely ridiculous.

Machiavelli, Niccolo. “The Qualities of the Prince.” A World of Ideas: Essential Reading for College Writers. Lee A. Jacobus. 7th ed. New York; Bedford St. Martins, 2006. pp 35-50.