Machiavelli and Morality Essay

When reading Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, one can’t help but grasp Machiavelli’s argument that morality and politics can not exist in the same forum. However, when examining Machiavelli’s various concepts in depth, one can conclude that perhaps his suggested violence and evil is fueled by a moral end of sorts. First and foremost, one must have the understanding that this book is aimed solely at the Prince or Emperor with the express purpose of aiding him in maintaining power. Therefore, it is essential to grasp his concepts of fortune and virtue. These two contrary concepts reflect the manner in which a Prince should govern while minimizing all chance and uncertainty. This kind of governing demands violence to be taken, however this is only done for the strict purpose of maintaining his throne, and generating both fear and admiration from his people. In all cases of violence, Machiavelli limits the amount of violence that needs to be taken down to the minimum, and most cases the victims of these acts are enemies of the people. Behind the violence, the prince is essentially taking the role of the villain and assuming all â€Å"bad† acts so that his people do not have to suffer and commit the acts themselves. In addition, all the Prince asks for is to not threaten his power and to respect it. In the 16th Century, this request is feeble compared to those of other hierarchical Monarchies. In the end, Machiavelli’s Prince assumes all the burden of violence while leaving his noble people to act as they feel accordingly without worry of their lively hood. This is Machiavelli’s ultimate stroke of morality. Before examining how the interaction of violence and politics lead to morality in the end, it is important to analyze exactly what Machiavelli demands of his Prince. First and foremost, Machiavelli harps upon the concept of fortune and virtue. By fortune, he means that everything is left to chance, while nothing will guarantee that a certain event will occur. Machiavelli writes that a â€Å"Great long standing Prince never rules with fortune. † Through risk and chance, one leaves him open to failure; thus action should be withheld if an element of chance is involved. Machiavelli ties virtue very closely to that of prudence. He defines virtue as acting exceptionally and draws a distinction between morality and virtue. In many respects Machiavelli defines virtue by prudence. If a ruler is able to balance his violence, keep his subjects appeased, and have a dire understanding of his threats, then in Machiavelli’s eyes the ruler has a strong virtue. What must be understood is that the throne is always in jeopardy and someone is always there to try to knock the prince off his pedestal. This is a prime understanding that a prince must have, and fuels the infamous argument by Machiavelli that it is better to be feared than loved. Machiavelli explains that, for the most part, love is very subjective and eventually will subside unless further concessions are made to appease his subjects. In addition, people only care about their personal conveniences and a prince would have to overextend himself if he were to be loved by all. Fear, however, is not subjective and has a universal effect on all his people. Fear can be attained by sporadic violent acts. One must understand, however, that massive amounts of violence can not be done because it would portray the Prince as tyrant, and might stir up his people to revolt against him. The acts must be calculated, concise, and serve a direct purpose not only to his benefit but to the people’s also. Despite what might be assumed, Machiavelli is really developing a principality based around the people, where the Prince’s actions are merely to save his own head from the chopping block. In essence, Machiavelli’s ideal principality sustains a genuine sense of morality behind the violence that â€Å"must be subjected in order to maintain stability. † Looking at his plans subjectively, Machiavelli could very easily have broken down the subjects in a hierarchical fashion or forced upon them large sum taxes and duties. He does not do this, instead opting simply for the respect of the people and the lack of treachery in affairs regarding his power. The people in his kingdom can live with tranquility, and pursue whatever they so desire. This freedom of the people and ability to act as they feel is more than a simple convenience. Personal pursuit of happiness of all is given by the Prince but at his expense. All that the people must do is respect and not threaten the Prince’s power. On the contrary, the Prince sacrifices his own motives, morals, and personal happiness so that his subjects may have them. Essentially, Machiavelli paints the Prince as a Christ figure. It is the Prince who takes away the sins of the world, so to speak. He gives up his morals so that other may keep and cherish theirs. Machiavelli firmly insists that politics and morality can not co-exist. The main reason is that moral behavior is consistent and can be predictable. Consistency and predictability are significannot ly weak components of a ruler, and could be exploited by his enemies. When a pattern of action is established, conspirators can conspire and plan an overthrow. These conspirators would then plunder and pillage as they came to power; therefore worsening the situation in the kingdom. The people then would become the victims, and anarchy would soon break out creating all kinds of disorder. So, although the intentions of moral political actions are good, in the end they will lead to immoral acts. The actions he takes are not just violent tyrannical activities rather they are sacrifices. He is the one who must live with the guilt of sin, not his constitutes. In terms of morality, the Prince does not demand any unmoral action from his subjects. He shoulders it all. It is also the Prince who, although it is also for his personal safety, eliminates the tyrants that not only threaten his throne but also his people. Along the same lines as halting anarchy or riots, the elimination of other power hungry individuals evaporates the threat of oppression on the people from another exterior source. One thing that remains consistent in his principality is that people maintain their honor and esteem, and this unselfish sacrifice is what makes the Prince’s actions in actuality quite moral. Another aspect that one can not help but ignore is that fact the Prince assumes the position of ruler at the costs and expectations. For being a Prince, he must at times be prudent and aware of his position with the people. Machiavelli writes â€Å"the Prince must be seen as moral by the people. † The fact underlies the importance of morality for Machiavelli. Without morality and without the notion of morality in a Prince, civil disorder will occur. Morality, with its uncertainties, provides at the very least a common non-violent base in which subjects have a set of rules could live by. What makes morality important to the Prince is that it also allows him a statute of sorts. For example, if people operate by their morals than the Prince has not to worry such problems as stealing, killing and other immoral actions. Therefore, just by appearing to be moral, morality can be used as a tool to control and harness the people below him. As Prince, Machiavelli’s existence and power is constantly threatened. However, it is not simply a job or power that the Prince would lose if he is to be overthrown from his position. It is, in turn, his life that the Prince would lose if he were overtaken. Therefore, it could be conceived that the Prince is acting and utilizing violence simply to save his own life. Saving a life, even it is your own, follows within the moral code. You could though look at the situation from a different perspective. Machiavelli argues that the only noteworthy position a moral person can assume is that of a martyr. However, I disagree with this statement because although one could be reveled as a martyr, the possible effects of a new prince’s statutes far outweigh the benefits of being a martyr. As a martyr people simply become energized and support your cause. However, if a Prince is such martyr, that would mean a new Prince is in power and could instill far worse conditions upon the people. Therefore, with his subjects as the top priority, morality demands that the Prince must stay alive and allow the people to prosper under his free monarchy. Machiavelli’s Prince is a book in which Machiavelli outlines the actions a Prince must take to hold and maintain power in a principality. Within the context of the book, Machiavelli brings forth the notion that prudent violence must be done in order to maintain the throne. In addition, he strongly expresses the ideology that a Prince can not be both moral and political. However, behind this argument lays the foundation of morality. The Prince’s evil actions although not moral seem to sustain morality for the subjects within his principality. The Prince assumes all immoral behaviors and thus, by sacrifices himself for the people, is indeed moral in the end.

Poverty is a State of Mind Essay

The mighty Great Britain is not what it used to be. Its glory days are long gone and the financial recession of 2008 struck Britain bad. There’s a gap between the wealthy and the poor, like there’s always been. And it has grown greatly over the years. It is especially visible in the division of the northern and southern parts of England. The southern parts of England have London as its centre, and are doing more than well, but the northern parts of England are suffering. They are unable to sustain themselves. Their employment has risen, and people are facing tougher and bigger challenges. But perhaps those challenges are not only a material challenge, but also an emotional challenge, as Bernard Hare argues in his radio essay â€Å"Poverty is a State of Mind† from the BBC network, 2012. But is his argument correct, when he says that poverty is mostly in your mind? In this essay I am going to analyse the radio essay † Poverty is a State of Mind† by Bern ard Hare. Part of my essay will focus on Hare’s use of his own experience, the way he uses contrasts and his use of pathos, logos and ethos. Bernard Hare is a social worker and writer. He was born in the town of Leeds in North England in 1958. He was the son of a coal miner and a shop worker. He was born into poverty because his family did not have a lot of money. But Hare never saw that, he argues that even though he grew up poor in Leeds, he had love, security and a good social environment. Because of that, he never felt he was alone nor did he feel poor in spirit, which Hare believes is how the poorest people, who have basically nothing, are feeling today. Things changed though, when the strike of the coal miners began. And everything good about Leeds that he had known shattered to pieces. When they protested against Margret Thatcher’s liberalization, Hare got caught in the middle, which led him to doing drugs and starting drinking. But later in his life when he came across some young kids who were doing exactly the same thing, he decided to suck it up and help the community, and starting writing to promote his cause. â€Å"Absolute poverty was back with a vengeance.†1 Here he points out that poverty can become an evil circle, where money is spent but not for the better. â€Å"You’ll never have any money if you drink and smoke [†¦] I was becoming aware that there might be a self-inflicted element to some people’s poverty†2 Here he comments on the fact, that he believes that the only way to escape poverty, is to do something about it yourself. But to do  so there needs to be an even playing field, where society does not favour the richer people. â€Å"Education is one way out of poverty, but the road is only worth taking when combined with social justice,†3 Since poverty and finding his place in society was a big part of Hare’s life, it is obvious that he uses parts of his life as examples, to get his message out. He uses examples from his life experience, so that he can come across as more reliable, when he argues his message. He makes it easier to persuade the reader – this is the rhetorical technique ethos. This comes across when he argues that people, who are born poor, find it hard to find their place in society â€Å"I had escaped poverty [†¦] A year later I was plunged right back into poverty again.†4 Hare uses a lot of contrasts in his essay, to show the difference between poverty in the olden days that he experienced as a child, and the poverty nowadays – here he uses the kids as an example. The poverty in his childhood was to him much happier than the poverty today. People cared for each other and looked out for each other, they trusted each other even though they had nothing and might gain more from stealing from amongst each other. They were happy neighbours in Leeds in the 60s. Today the poor feed themselves with drugs and misery – poverty is a fact in Britain. Today’s poor are a contrast to the 60’s poor – today they are all alone, back then they stood together. Hare underlines his message when he uses this contrast. The message; that even though his father was poor and beaten physically, he was rich and happy socially and mentally, whereas today the poor are both poor inside and out. When he underlines his messages with examples from his own life experiences, he gets a stronger appeal, which makes him seem like a more honest and trustworthy person. Hare also uses the rhetorical technique pathos by the use of adjectives, in this case to make the reader take a certain side. â€Å"Margret Thatcher was out to destroy the miners’ union†5 Here it is obvious that Margaret Thatcher is the bad guy who wants to destroy all the miners, and therefor he wants the reader to feel sorry for them. The central problem with Hareâ₠¬â„¢s essay and his statements, that poverty is only a state of mind, is that it is psychological. Poverty is big part of humanity, and being physically poor means that your possibilities are restricted. Those people who are stuck in poverty and can’t get out, it becomes difficult to reflect on the riches such as love and care. His point is good, when he claims that if you feel  and think you are rich, then you are, but he forgets that despite his family was very poor, they were not unemployed. To conclude it all – the 21st century seemed to be a lovely change, democracy was on its way forward and there was growth in the middleclass. But when the financial crisis boomed in 2008, those unprepared paid a great price. Poverty became reality – especially in the north where unemployment shattered over the people. The parliament from south did not have a solution, and if nothing is done to change that rise in poverty, both the physical but also mental poverty, perhaps Great Britain will lose its greatness.

Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer Post Mastectomy Research Paper

Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer Post Mastectomy - Research Paper Example Justification of the Problem Since such a large number of mastectomies are performed every year, it is an important issue with regard to women’s health. In order to achieve a full and proper recovery, and go on to live a high quality life post mastectomy, it is essential to identify the combination of factors necessary to achieve it. Statement of the Problem Since survival rates are improving, more attention must be given to the quality of life for breast cancer survivors (ASPS, 2011). A good deal more research is needed to help post mastectomy breast cancer patients achieve the highest quality of life possible. Review of the Literature Even though more research is needed, there is existing research that identifies some of the factors necessary for post mastectomy breast cancer patients to achieve a high quality of life. Some early research seems to suggest that the negative effects of having breast cancer (e.g. sexual well-being) may be lessened by the conservation or reconst ruction of the breast (ASPS, 2011; Rowland et al., 2001). Very little research has been done comparing psychosocial outcomes of patients that had a lumpectomy, a mastectomy alone, or a mastectomy with reconstruction (Rowland et al., 2001). The study included a large number of breast cancer survivors (1,957) who filled out a self-report questionnaire that measured health-related quality of life. As found in other research, those who had a mastectomy with reconstruction were more likely to be younger, college educated, affluent and white, than those in the other groups; however, no difference was found among the groups with regard to emotional, social... The current proposed study will be based on the theoretical framework developed by Rogers. According to Rogers’ theory, the goal, with regard to nursing, is to help clients/patients achieve a maximal level of wellness. All study participants will be women that have undergone a mastectomy as a part of breast cancer treatment. The mastectomy must have been performed between two and five years prior to the commencement of the study. The procedure for the study involves first obtaining a baseline. Study participants will be interviewed and all responses will be recorded. Next, the participants will then complete sa series of self-reporting. The questionnaires will be on various subjects, including psychological health, physical and emotional health, overall satisfacdtion and happiness, among others. Once all of the data is gathered, it will be analyzed and presented so that my see the/ significance of certain relationships which help to achieve a high quality of laundery The study included a large number of breast cancer survivors who filled out a self-report questionnaire that measured health-related quality of life. As found in other research, those who had a mastectomy with reconstruction were more likely to be younger, college educated, affluent and white, than those in the other groups; however, no difference was found among the groups with regard to emotional, social or role function. Body image and feelings of attractiveness are the usual psychosocial impacts found with regard to the surgery; and, nearly all post mastectomy patients report the fear of recurrence to be their greatest emotional challengea. The study also found that after a year from diagnosis, the quality of life is probably influenced most by the woman’s age or exposure to adjuvant therapy.

The nature of communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The nature of communication - Essay Example The manager’s complaint was that the area was not cleaned to her liking in the allotted time. She was accurate in her assessment, but because of mitigating circumstances, including an extensive influx of customers late in the evening, and minimal help from co-workers who had left earlier, she mis-communicated the blame. While elements of her criticism were effective, a great deal of it was misdirected as it was founded on erroneous assumptions. It fell short in that it didn’t leave room for a dialogue to occur that could create a constructive solution. Instead, the observations were relayed in a way that spoke to the necessarily limited perspective of one individual. For work place communication to be effective, open communication among workers within the organization must be promoted. Without this collaborative environment, the workplace becomes dry and monotonous and the creativity necessary for beneficial improvements is squashed. I believe effective communicators embody a number of positive traits that emerge when they relate to fellow human beings. In the situation at my work, communication did not occur because there was not an open dialogue occurring between the two individuals, but a one sided lecture. Effective communicators must take an interest in the people they communicate with, as nobody wants to listen to someone who isn’t engaged in the conversation. It’s important they look at the person’s eyes as it indicates that you are intent and engaged in the conversation. They speak clearly and directly, using language suitable for the conversation. While situations and types of language will differ greatly, effective communicators have a way of speaking that goes beyond merely giving a speech. They are able to strategically and competently relate to the individual and adapt the conversation to better convey the message they are attempting to impart. In not opening the

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 45

History - Essay Example The New England colonies of New Hampshire and Connecticut had a low degree of diversity with 70% of the population being Europeans while the middle colonies were the most diverse colonies with no ethnic community that formed a majority (Grigg 54). Notably, the new wave of newcomers to these New England colonies brought in new cultures to the region that initially was occupied by the red Indians. Though the influx of immigrants into the American colonies almost engulfed the Indian communities, the communities were not integrated into any of the cultures. The interaction of the people with distinct ethnic backgrounds did not result to a change in the cultures that was quite distinct from the one they had when they came to America. This is because the ethnic clannishness of the diverse groups of people disallowed any cohesive regional culture from developing. Therefore, the colonial American society was a multicultural place (Grigg 82-88). The diversity of the population in colonial America also led to the economic development of the region. This is because they affected the labor market and economic growth. The diverse populations that came into colonial America engaged in economic activities. The British, French, Dutch, Italians and Swedish engaged in farming and trade of products such as coffee, tea, tobacco, ribbons, glassware (Grigg 89). Clothing, ceramics and linen. In the southern colonies such as the Georgia, trade proliferated and shops developed. Notably, the British in the Georgian colony engaged in commercial agricultural activities between 1720 and 1770 and the products gathered at the American colonial cities such as New York awaiting exportation (Grigg 91-95). In 1720’s, the value of exports was more than 65 million pounds annually. However, the value of exports increased to 100 million pounds by 1770’s. The export trade resulted to the development of the cities in the colony. For instance , Philadelphia developed to be

Outcomes in Proffessional Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Outcomes in Proffessional Nursing - Assignment Example However, several global governance and policy issues control the quality and effectiveness of healthcare services in global perspective. Kruk (2010) in the article highlights the entrance of private institutions and multi-stakeholders in the healthcare industry. On the one hand, it has resulted in greater funding and equity availability in global healthcare governance, it has also created gaps in the traditional centralized and currently demanded non-centralized decision making environment at healthcare desk. Latest and complex technologies have facilitated the scope of healthcare service but also rippled the cross-national health markets as focus shifts from local to global health. Increased global disparities among nations gave rise to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in which 189 countries became signatories. With this, eradication of poverty, gender inequality, diseases and supporting countries with vulnerable health systems became the tenets of better health performance. In this regard, the role of entities involved namely private institutions, nurses, government and issues surrounding their functioning like their composition, degree of control and autonomy, training and development and geographical and cultural factors; has been highlighted by Kabene et al. (2006). Healthcare services are marked by professionalism, dedication and expert service and as claimed by the authors, human resources management in this regard should enjoy a strategic position with considerable amount of decision making freedom, decentralized working environment and multifaceted professionals with understanding of finance, marketing and other domains which could help them nurture a culture supporting global health agenda. In the light of above findings, it becomes crystal clear that responsibility and accountability is going to rise in professional nursing practice. Apart from normal care, nurses are now entrusted with

Risk Tolerance & need to diversify Research Paper

Risk Tolerance & need to diversify - Research Paper Example Large Company stocks, also referred to as blue-chip stocks or large-cap stocks, refer to the stocks of large publicly traded companies (Leach and Melicher, 2011, p.249). Long term corporate bonds in most cases refer to debentures which offer a higher yield compared to other investments but investors of such bonds are prone to interest risk and credit risk. Long term government bond refers to those bonds which mature in more than 10years. US Treasury bill is a transferable debt contract issued by the US Government that ensures trust and fulfillment of claim of receivable return at the end of the period. Such investment is made for a period of one year or less than one year, and is exempt from local and state taxes (Boston Institute of Finance, 2005, p.105). If my decision is to invest in the current portfolio of mix of stock, bonds and treasury bills in equal proportions, despite of the divisions between fixed earnings and volatility of earnings of the securities, the entire portfolio would give an average (avg.) expected return of 14.78%, with risk of 8.88% associated with it, as per time horizon and risk tolerance. Impact on future Investment Decisions The decision of future investment and formation of portfolio with diversification depends on the characteristics of the investor, the characteristics of the securities in the portfolio and its risk return trade-off which will determine the proportion of investment to be made in each security, observation of the historical performance of the securities, and the time horizon of investment. An investor can be broadly classified into risk averse investors, risk prone investor, and risk neutral investor, based on their degree of risk preference. Risk averse investors prefer security to earnings than risk accompanied by high returns. Such investors prefer to invest more in bonds and treasury bills which will carry a guarantee of return at the end of period with low risk; as such investors try to avoid risks. Some inve stors who prefer to bear risk and avail the high return associated with it belong to a class of risk prone investors. Such investors prefer to invest in risky securities with high returns, such as equity, so as to avail the benefit arising out of it. There is another class of investors known as risk neutral investors, as they do not make any differentiation between debt and equity and opt to invest equal proportion in each (Haslem, 2009, p.158). If I am a risk averse investor, I shall prefer maximum investment in treasury bills and bonds, as this will assure a fixed percentage of returns at the end of the period with low risk associated with it. Thus, 80% of the investment is to be made in treasury bills and bonds, and 20% in company stocks. The proportion of investment in long-term corporate bonds differs from long term government bonds and US Treasury bills, as because long term corporate bonds is a bit risky than the others. If I am a risk neutral investor, I shall prefer equal p roportion of investment in both stocks and bonds (i.e. bonds and treasury bills), with an expectation that if return from stock is higher I shall benefit from my investment, and, if investment in stock fails to provide return, then benefit earned from the fixed income bearing securities would help to offset some portion of the loss. If I am a risk prone invest