Machiavelli and Hobbes Philosophy - Essay Example

Machiavelli and Hobbes Philosophy Machiavelli and Hobbes were political philosophers who excelled in writing several philosophical book and thoughts that are still used today. Machiavelli is fondly remembered in the political and philosophical world by the statement he made in politics that the end justifies the means. This is a theory that punctuated most of his writing in the book, the Prince. In this book, Machiavelli said that in politics, the political would do anything to acquire power no matter the cost of what they are doing. Political manipulation and reckless ruthlessness has been the reference of the word Machiavelli in the contemporary context. This is contrary to the teaching of Machiavellian that denounced ruthlessness and manipulation as a way of gaining power to control the masses. Machiavelli insisted that one should earn power and not to inherit. However, in most parts of the world power has been inherited and revolved within a lineage. In his book the prince, Machiavelli unequivocally states how political power should be used for the benefit of the people and how that power can be maintained. He cites the examples from his personal experiences and those from the ancient texts. Whereas he did not talk about what qualities a leader should posses, Machiavelli was keen to indicate that any method engaged by the ruler should factor in the fact that the state of the mind is not altered. In this regard, he did set the limits within which he believed gaining controlled should be checked. It will thus be construed that the cliche-the end justifies the means has been used in the most simplified manner considering the context of his philosophical statement. Pragmatism and realism were the pillars of his philosophy, he also understood that ideals were impossible partake on as ruler. The philosophical work of Machiavelli has immensely contributed and accounted for the political manipulation seen. On the other hand, Thomas Hobbes also had his own version of philosophy about the political manipulation and maneuver as documented in his numerous writings. Relating the work of the two philosophers to the common phrase the body politics, the nation constituting the people is referred to as the body. In this case, politics is metaphorically related to the healthy body of a human being. The head of the body in this case being the government that is charged with the responsibility to govern the people. In this case, the head and the body are expected to have coordination in which whatever the head does, the body must be aware of it through the transmitted effect or what may be referred to the trickledown effect. The head and the body are expected to have communication and when the head is ailing, the body too has to ail. This analogy was taken to the political scenario in which, what the government is doing has direct consequences to the people whom it is charged with the responsibility of governing. The implication the term body politics is to express the opinion that the people the government and the people are considered as one just like the body and the head do forms one thing. In some cases, sections of people have tried to redefine the term by saying that the term means exclusively the government alone. The intention of the statement is that a healthy government should have the capacity to make conscious focus just like a healthy body (Hobbes, and Martinich 108). The people are regarded as a stake in the context of the head and the body as proposed by Hobbes to the extent that they are construed to constitute what is critical in the society. Though this may not be seen as a naive way of looking at the matter, it should also be considered that at times the government do exist and operate whimsically on the wishes of the people. It is thus important to note that the people’s opinion about the government may have significant impact and that in the event that the peoples turn violent, the government will have to be disrupted in its daily operation. The cordial relation between these two organs is important and this explains why the government needs a strong cabinet and legislatures that can defend it in achieving the common interest of the people. This brings out the conclusion that the body and the head are supposed to operate in liaison because any discomfort of one has to be transferred to the other as proposed by Thomas Hobbes (Hobbes, and Martinich, 112). The idea of body politics has dominated the world of the philosophers, economists, and political scientists. They have used the phrase to criticize the government or the whole society when things are not moving in the right direction. They argue that the society as well as the government deserves to be criticized if they are not in harmony (Najemy 87). If the head and the body are not cooperative to the extent that they cannot live to their obligation then they deserve to be criticized. One would then ask, what is the disease that is having a toll on the body politics? The concept of the statement is that what is it that can make the body and the head not to experience the relation they should have in normal circumstances. To put in the direct terms, we are referring to what can make the society and the government not to read in the same script. The people elect what is referred to as the government and according to Hobbes will be the head in most cases. The government given its ability can turn to ignore the wishes of the people and turn totalitarian. In such cases, the government and the people will be at loggerhead and will be said to be ailing. Most of the totalitarian regimes are characterized with rampant detention without trial, looting and putting in place all kinds of repressive measures to the people. In this case, these governments have decided to ignore the wishes of the people and instead muffle the voices of the people. Situation where the government have made changes on the constitutions and turning their countries to one party states in order to hoard power for the benefit of a few rich oligarchs have led to a sore relation between the people and the government. The government must in all times ensure that their policies are, people oriented and that they conform to the requirement and needs of the people. The democratic space in a country is one of the fundamentals that a government that want to live in harmony with the people it governs must respect and guarantee (Najemy 106). There has been pushing and shoving between such government and the people on account that the people believes that they are denied basic and fundamental human rights that they cannot raise any objection on governance issues. Several countries have faced the same problem in which the government is repressive and torturous to the people to the extent that the people explode in protests. In other circumstances, the government embarks on serious campaign to control the dissenting opinions in a country by either engaging in reckless assassination of those criticizing them. This state of action has always engulfed a country in fear and in most cases the civil society that does come with a solution through demonstration and protests. In this case, it will be justified that the head and the body are not reading in the same scripts. The people can also take issues with the government if it fails to honor its election promises. This is always the test for most governments; they provide blueprints that they are not able to achieve, either because they are not interested while in power or because they do not have a structure to accomplish the same. This disillusionment by the people may also contribute to the failure of the government to enjoy a cordial relationship with the people. The analogy given by Machiavelli and Hobbes are indeed practical and justifiable. The government and the people cannot be separated and then expect the two to have a lively continuity. There should be all manner efforts to ensure that both the head and the body are at ease with the other. Insurgency and revolutionary response by the people have always been catalyzed by situations of such nature (Springborg 123). The problems of the body and the head has seen establishment of a constitutional order in which, all these diverse difference can be rationalize so that every person appreciates the role of the other which remains within the constitution. The constitutional dispensation has been used to bring and harmonize any difference that can exist between the people and the government. The government and the people should always be in harmony for the perpetual existence of the society. The conduct of the government and the people towards another should be that which is based on mutual understanding and goodwill. As started by the two philosophers, the body and the mind should always work in tandem. The goodwill of the two parties is important for a healthy government to be instituted, it that is not accomplished then the situation remains uncertain. However, as started in the Prince by Machiavelli, he states that the politicians will always do anything in order to achieve their desires and will not have to worry about the consequences of their actions (Springborg 143). He asserts that the politicians are deceitful and will use that to conceal their intention and character to continue controlling the people and exploit them unsuspectingly. In conclusion, it is important to note the significance of the relation between the head and the body to allow the government to remain health just like the analogous healthy body. It is to the interest of the people the government remains sensitive and conscious of their predicament and appreciates their support for giving them the responsibility to lead and to take the country to envisaged destiny. Works Cited Hobbes, Thomas, and A. P. Martinich. Leviathan Parts I and II. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, 2005. Print. Najemy, John M. The Cambridge companion to Machiavelli. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print. Springborg, Patricia. The Cambridge companion to Hobbes's Leviathan. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007. Print. Read More