... 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 on human nature were somewhat unnerving. First we covered Socrates by reading The Apology. This piece of literature was not actually written by Socrates, but ... is sometimes necessary. Whereas Socrates and Plato were concerned about people, Machiavelli's writings seem to be aimed toward aristocrats because they make oppression and deceit acceptable means to an en...

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