Rulers Harmonizing To Plato, Machiavelli And Aristotle Essay, Research Paper

Political doctrine is portion of the most influential and digesting texts in all of history. The Aristotelean tradition, following from the doctrine of Plato and go oning in the Hagiographas of other modern political philosophers such as Machiavelli, has formed the scene against which all wining political and moral doctrine has founded its orientation. The several rights and responsibilities of the citizens and the swayer as described in Plato & # 8217 ; s Apology, Machiavelli & # 8217 ; s Prince, and Aristotle & # 8217 ; s Politicss can be compared and contrasted in assorted ways.

Harmonizing to Socrates in Plato & # 8217 ; s Apology, citizens have the right to philosophise in chase of truth and honing the psyche. Socrates was charged with prophesying this message to the young person of Athens ( Jowett 4 ) . Machiavelli, on the other manus, did non concentrate on the right of philosophising but instead on the right of citizens going dependant on the prince. If citizens were dependent on the prince, so rebellions were less likely to happen ( Wooton 32 ) . Aristotle & # 8217 ; s logical thinking of citizen rights dealt with engagement in office. He believed that citizens had the right to take part in the personal businesss of the metropolis merely if their parents were both citizens every bit good ( Reeve 65 ) . Despite the fact that Socrates, Machiavelli and Aristotle have different beliefs about the rights of citizens, it can be inferred that they would all hold on the right of citizens to be ruled by a greater and wiser force.

Along with the rights of citizens are the responsibilities. Socrates believed that an of import responsibility of citizens was to better the province through self-knowledge. In Socrates & # 8217 ; position, the wellness and prosperity of the province would follow if every one of the citizens were wise and virtuous, but no set of Torahs can guarantee such wellness and prosperity if the citizens act unjustly. Besides the citizens & # 8217 ; responsibility of obtaining virtuousness, Socrates feels it is his personal responsibility in to the God of the prophet to go on oppugning work forces who think they are wise in order to demo them that they are non ( Jowett 15 ) . Machiavelli besides believed that citizens had a duty to obtain vertu. In Italian, the word vertu means strength, ability, bravery, and verve. Machiavelli suggested that the care of autonomy in a republic depends on the vertu of the citizens ( Wooton 18 ) . Aristotle believed that citizens had a responsibility, along with the right, to keep office and do determinations. He farther explains the responsibilities of citizens in chapter four in his book Politics & # 8217 ; with the scrutiny of the virtuousness of a good adult male in comparing with that of a good citizen. Aristotle stated that a citizen is slightly like a crewman, one among a figure of spouses on a ship, each with different undertakings and maps. Although each has a specific virtuousness harmonizing to his capacity and responsibility on the ship, there is besides a general virtuousness similar to them all, which is the saving of the ship. In a similar manner, the virtuousness of the citizen is with a position to the government ( Reeve 70 ) . Despite the different readings, all three philosophers can hold that if citizens fulfill their responsibility of holding virtuousness or vertu, the metropolis will boom.

Citizens are non the lone 1s with rights. As indicated by Socrates, swayers have the right to inquiry and clear up cognition instead than to confirm it ( Jowett 15 ) . While Machiavelli takes a different attack and implies in chapter 17 of his book, The Prince that a swayer has the right to be feared than to be loved. He believes that when forced to take between being feared

and being loved, swayers have the right to take being feared because it is a safer manner out, since he thinks work forces can non be trusted ( Wooton 52 ) . Aristotle believed that the rights of swayer depended on the type of government. For illustration, a command type of political regulation had the right to govern with a position to the advantage of the maestro. Although Aristotle did non believe this should be the instance, he did supply that right to mastery political regulation ( Reeve 72 ) . Aristotle believed that successful political regulation had the right to govern with a position to the advantage of the metropolis as a whole. While Aristotle wanted to avoid regulation by a individual adult male because it was unpolitical, he does non deny that if such an outstanding individual or group of people existed, it would be irrational non to let them to govern. Rulers can hold different rights harmonizing to Socrates, Machiavelli and Aristotle, but one thing found in common among all three philosophers is that they all propose the rights of the swayers with regard to the citizens of the metropolis, which can be farther explained through the responsibilities of citizens.

Socrates believed that the supreme moral responsibility of philosophical life was to inquiry people sing their ain supposed cognition and to demo them that their wisdom extends merely every bit far as their credence of their ignorance. In this regard, Socrates believes he is assisting people gain wisdom and overcome ignorance ( Jowett 14 ) . Machiavelli believed that the swayer had assorted responsibilities. One duty included that a swayer who intended to by successful must be prepared to make bad things on juncture, when political worlds demand such actions. Machiavelli besides believed that it was the responsibility of a swayer to hold features of both the king of beasts and the fox. He thought that the courage and strength of the king of beasts would non be plenty to enable the swayer to get away the traps set by his enemies and therefore the craft of the fox would besides be needed. Machiavelli offered Septimius Severus, who served as Roman emperor from 193-211A.D. as an illustration of a new prince who efficaciously used the techniques of both the king of beasts and the fox to keep himself in power ( Wooton 55 ) . In add-on, Machiavelli believed that it was a swayer & # 8217 ; s responsibility to accomplish the art of war. He held that the cultivation of this art was the main agencies of deriving and maintaining power, and that the disregard of this art was the main agencies of losing power ( Wooton 43 ) . Aristotle was non every bit complicated in that he believed the responsibility of a swayer was to govern for the interest of the common good. He believed that swayers with this duty were from the right governments and the governments that look to the advantage of the swayers are unfair ( Reeve 73 ) . The responsibilities of swayers are diverse harmonizing to the three philosophers, but it can be assumed confidently that they all agree on the responsibility of swayers holding cognition in order to regulate.

While Socrates, Machiavelli and Aristotle all propose different positions on the rights and responsibilities of citizens and swayers, their thoughts can be taken out of context to happen that they do so portion some similar land. Personally, I think that Aristotle had the strongest thoughts about the rights and responsibilities of citizens, while Machiavelli had the most powerful thoughts about the rights and responsibilities of a swayer. Overall, all three philosophers have contributed to the foundation for all succeeding political and moral doctrine because whether based on similar or different positions, they have set the land regulations for the rights and responsibilities of citizens and swayers.

Plato & # 8217 ; Apology

Machiavelli & # 8217 ; s The Prince

Aristotle & # 8217 ; s Politicss