Machiavelli's statement "rivers and men can be controlled, but cannot be trusted" is comparing men to rivers as they both can be controlled in the sense that a river can be dammed to stop the flow of water or it's banks can be widened or shortened; in a similar way men can be controlled and compelled to do involuntary tasks due to, in a modern sense, peer pressure and blackmail among many other means. In continuation of discussing the second part of Machiavelli's statement that says men cannot be trusted, there again is a comparison between rivers and men, as rivers cannot be trusted due to their rapidly changing currents and sharp hidden rocks. Also, men cannot be trusted since giving in to personal desires is human nature. I partially agree with Machiavelli's statement as I believe both men and rivers can be controlled through certain means and cannot be trusted due to instinct, however, I also disagree with his statement because if we use everything in our power to control rivers and men, how can we know their true potential if they have freedom to choose for themselves? And if we do not trust rivers and men then we truly cannot have faith in anything as trust is a part of life and even though men do give in to their desires at times, it is our trust in them that helps them to make the right choices.
Machiavelli's position on how a leader or prince should behave clashes with the views of most modern day leaders and princes of the Commonwealth. Machiavelli believed if a prince or leader wished to keep their position in society they must "learn how to not be good", they must heavily tax the people, they cannot be poor or the people will have no respect for them, and generosity can cause great harm. However, most of the leaders and princes of today display the opposite principles as they try to be favourable, they do not heavily tax, they do not believe that poverty is the cause of disrespectfulness amongst their followers or people (though most of them are extremely wealthy), and rather than believing that it causes great harm, these modern day leaders give generously.
Quote from Machiavelli's, The Prince:
I think this is an excellent post, and your picture is perfect. I don't agree with your assessment of modern leaderships though, and that may be due to my advanced old age and experience. One thing you may want to consider is the NSA leak scandal. Either way, great job. Try to include a hyper link next time
ReplyDeleteYour comparison between rivers and men is very interesting. Cool picture too. Like Mr Hurley, I do not really agree with your comment that modern leaders all try to be good and win the people's trust. Nor do all of them trust their people and allow them to grow to their full potential. And there are times when a leader can achieve much more by being stingy instead of generous, and by using force instead of love.
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