Machiavelli: Do the Ends Justify the Means?

Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian writer and politician during the Renaissance. Machiavelli worked for the government of Florence, but lost his job when the Medici family was forced out of power. It was then that Machiavelli began to write about politics, specifically realism: how the world worked instead of how it should work.

Machiavelli's most famous work was The Prince, written in 1513. In The Prince, Machiavelli discusses how leaders can get and maintain power. He argues that a leader's authority comes from power, and that rulers who are strong and have lots of power will stay in control, no matter if they are good or evil. It was important, Machiavelli argued, to have a strong ruler, because that's how city-states and countries could protect themselves.

Machiavelli's most famous idea is that "the ends justify the means." What he meant by that is that a ruler who wants to stay in power must be prepared to do anything -- even things that are evil or cruel. According to Machiavelli, the only thing that makes people obey laws is the threat of force. Therefore, in order to stay in charge, a ruler had to keep people afraid. Today, people who will do anything to achieve their goals are described as "Machiavellian."

The Prince has been a popular book throughout history. Rulers and politicians the world over have used Machiavelli's ideas to justify their behavior.

Click here to read 11 lessons from The Prince still relevant today. Which lesson do you think is the most important? If the first link doesn't work, try this one. 

 The Prince is sometimes described as an instruction manual for those who want political power. But is there ever a situation where the goal is so important that it doesn't matter what method is used to achieve it? With a neighbor, three of these goals and explain what means would and would not be justified. Write down your answers; we will be using these in a class discussion.

•     Defend the country against a foreign invasion
•     Protect your home from a burglar
•     Get into the college of your choice
•     Stay (or become) popular in school
•     Make people obey a recycling law