... society, one that is supposed to be the epitome of prosperity and success, how can you build its foundations on lies? The Callipolis is what Plato calls his so-called perfect city or Utopia. In his "perfect" city there will be leaders who are promoted or "elected" to become the ... and this Callipolis is a place where lies would not be tolerated, than how can a justification be made for the existence of a noble lie? The guardians in Plato's city are chosen by a number of different, almost required, virtues, values, and parts of the psyche. First, guardians must be able to reason well, t...

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... regarding human nature this quarter was quite extensive. Of notable interest was the seeming drift toward pessimism as the years went on; Socrates and Plato were arguably the most optimistic, and then came the ever-pessimistic Machiavelli, and finally we ended up with Dostoevsky and Huxley, whose grim outlooks ... literature was not actually written by Socrates, but it is all his content; it is actually a transcript of the trial of Socrates, written by Plato, who was his most prominent student. During his trial, Socrates acted as one might expect as philosopher to act; he was very frank, ...

• Word Count: 923
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... defend oneself and live in whatever land you have conquered. It is germaine here to bring up the ancient thinker Plato. In the Republic, Plato outlines many ideas which parallel Machiavelli's. Both support this converted form of fascism, a celebration of governing power. Plato advocates a true aristocracy, or rule by the best philosopher-kings, and Machiavelli essentially advocates rule by the best man--"best ... the Noble Lie, or lie told by the leader to the believing masses for their own good. As there is a definite separation in Plato's thought between the classes of society, so doe...

• Word Count: 1699
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Virtu Like most Western philosophers, Niccolo Machiavelli's ideas were heavily influenced by the early Greek philosophers. Most notable among the Greek philosophers who inspired Machiavelli was Plato. In particular, Machiavelli took interest in Plato's concept of just rulers who ruled by moral virtue. Machiavelli argued against this Platonic philosophy. He believed in "virtu", whatever was best for the State was virtu. This is ... its citizens from attacks by other states. The ruler, therefore, is justified in doing whatever is necessary to maintain the country, even if it is unjust. On the o...

• Word Count: 4508
• Approx Pages: 18
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... to live but how a prince actually does live. He writes, "I have thought proper to represent things as they are in a real truth, rather than as they are imagined."" (pg. 49) Plato may have had a very utopian idea represented in The Republic, but that situation has never been a reality, and, most likely, will never come to be. Instead, Machiavelli wants to focus ... the perspective of a realist. In a certain sense, perhaps Thrasymachus was right when he said, "justice or right is simply what is in the interest of the stronger party."" (The Republic, Plato, pg. 19) If by "right- one could ...

• Word Count: 2118
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• Grade Level: High School

... that the author was unable to discover. Of course one last example that we must refer to in discussing this topic is that of the Platonic Dialogue. Here we see Plato analysing the nature and structure of society through the form of a conversation between his mentor Socrates and Socrates" friends Crito and Glaucon. Whether this was the writing style of the ... 's, questions being answered as we progress. This approach is unique, to my knowledge, in the field of political theory and enables the reader to almost immediately discern the basics of Plato's theories. Something that is not alway...

• Word Count: 1857
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of these qualities was his love for classical culture. He studied works from Aristotle, Galileo, Livy and Tacitus. His writings were also based upon and guided by people such as Plato, Cicero, and St. Augustine. In addition to being a leader and a great writer, he was also a playwright. His plays never made it big but some were known locally in Florence. In ... ...

• Word Count: 949
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• Grade Level: High School

... philosophers were concerned largely with the theoretical politics of an "idealist" prefect society. Machiavelli presents Medici with a sort of guidebook of successful political practices. Machiavelli goes against Platonic philosophy. Whereas Plato believed that human kind was virtuous by nature, with evil men being but a small fraction of the species, Machiavelli felt that it was virtuous who were a minority in a world of ... ...

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... Machiavelli as one of the world's forefathers in modern political theory for many reasons. Machiavelli's makes a clear break from the Western tradition of political philosophy that preceded him. Beginning with Plato and Aristotle, the thinkers of this tradition were concerned with issues of justice and human happiness, and with the constitution of the ideal state. Until its final chapter, "The Prince ... ...

• Word Count: 311
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... philosophers were concerned largely with the theoretical politics of an "idealist" prefect society. Machiavelli presents Medici with a sort of guidebook of successful political practices. Machiavelli goes against Platonic philosophy. Whereas Plato believed that human kind was virtuous by nature, with evil men being but a small fraction of the species, Machiavelli felt that it was virtuous who were a minority in a world of ... ...

• Word Count: 581
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... de" Medici, he analyzes the characteristics of numerous past rulers. In doing so, Machiavelli presents Medici with a sort of guidebook of successful political practices. Machiavelli goes against Platonic philosophy. Whereas Plato believed that human kind was virtuous by nature, with evil men being but a small faction of the species, Machiavelli felt that it was the virtuous who were a minority in a world ... ...

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... talent, but also produced a new breed of thinkers into society. These new thinkers were called humanists, and they Jaramillo 2 revived the old works of Greek and Roman philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Among these humanists was Machiavelli. Machiavelli was a controversial humanist writer whose realistic views of politics and leadership have set him apart from other Renaissance humanists. During his exile ... ...

• Word Count: 537
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• Grade Level: High School

... in a wide range of fields. The early humanists, such as writer Francesco Petrarch, studied the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans for inspiration and ideology, mixing the philosophies of Plato and other ancient thinkers with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Under the influence of the humanists, literature and the arts climbed to new levels of importance. 2. Niccolo Machiavelli ... ...

• Word Count: 455
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate