Mahavellis belief of human nature - Essay Example

e writing on the subject of the dos and don’ts of a prince in governing a state, he questions the traditional moral values and Christian virtues that propound the philosophy of truth and honesty. On the contrary he elaborates on the advantages of being manipulative and opportunistic (Mostafa). He argues that it is not for the prince to follow the path of absolute truth and morality as he believes them to create problems in maintaining law and order within the state and the people. He further justifies the trait of hypocrisy as essential in sustaining political career.

In other words Machiavelli eulogizes those aspects that Christianity condemns for being lowly and disgraceful. Machiavelli with all his radical statements is often placed against Plato who too dictated the rules of a welfare state but on completely different ideological conditions (Blanchard). It might be said that Machiavelli represents the Renaissance spirit of man as the independent soul aspiring to scale great heights of fame and power. Though his thoughts on the free will of man are appreciated but his idea of weighing everything including humanity and morality in terms of profitable return is criticized (Blanchard).

However it becomes evident that Machiavelli shows no regard for humanity and draws a clear cut difference between the ruler and the subjects with the former having all his sympathies. That he was no philanthropist is obvious from his snide remarks on the character of all commonplace mortals. His aversion for humankind shows in his conceptualization of the welfare state and the attributes of the leader, the prince. Had he been a little more sensitive and compassionate he might have noticed the ruthlessness of his ideas and his own pre-conditioned mind set.

Unlike the fundamental Christian concept that human being is essentially good, Machiavelli thinks that most human beings are essentially vile. In this respect he does not spare Christ whom he considers a foreigner with the