Friday, May 8, 2020

Socrates Vs Niccolo Machiavelli Essay - 1606 Words

Socrates and Niccolo Machiavelli are revered as some of the most influential thinkers of their respective times. Both of these thinkers developed their thoughts while Athens and Florence, their respective cities, faced political unrest. By questioning the people of Athens through their period of turmoil following a shift in government, Socrates was able to formulate opinions regarding how a government should operate and how people should rule. Centuries later during the Renaissance era, Machiavelli’s Italy was in a divided state with the Medici family holding rule over his native Florence. It was during this period when Machiavelli’s harsh views on how a prince should obtain power and use that power came to fruition. Apology and Crito†¦show more content†¦Socrates would view Machiavelli’s prince as unnecessarily strict and limiting to the knowledge that people crave to possess. Machiavelli’s leanings towards the state over the individual starkly c ontrast Socrates’ quest for individual knowledge through questioning. Throughout his trial in Athens and when facing execution, Socrates solidly stuck beside his belief that â€Å"life without this sort of examination is not worth living† (Apology, 38a). Socrates deeply believed in philosophy. He spent his whole life seeking wisdom through moral and political questions and even when addressing a jury with the possibility of execution looming over him he declared â€Å"I shall never stop practicing philosophy and exhorting you and indicating the truth for everyone† (Apology, 29d). The truth and the means of finding it were the most important thing to Socrates. Even though questioning was Socrates’ way to achieve power, he still believed in following the law. Practicing free speech and resisting political tyranny are not harmful as long as they fall within the constraints of the law. In explaining to Crito why escaping execution was not an option, Socrates questions Crito saying, â€Å"Do you imagine that a city can continue to exis t and not be turned upside down, if the legal judgements which are pronounced in it have no force but are nullified and destroyed† (Crito, 50b). In refusing to escape his death sentence Socrates proves hisShow MoreRelatedSocrates Vs. The Prince1842 Words   |  8 PagesSocrates vs. The Prince Niccolà ² Machiavelli, a Florentine philosopher and political aficionado from the 16th century and Socrates, a classical Athenian savant who lived during the 5th century B.C., are both judged as being forefathers to modern western political science and thought. The two great men both came from erratic epochs within their respective nations of Italy and Greece: wars, transitions of power, and domestic conflicts left their countries void of sustainable leadership and in desperate

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