Against the Machiavellian Principles of Politics Essay

According to Machiavelli, the affairs of the state reside in the power of the prince. It is the prince which determines, directs, and unifies the components of the state. The prince therefore should act to preserve, strengthen, and protect his position from danger, whether external or internal, without due moral consideration. In short, with the preservation of the state in mind, the prince should act with political diligence to promote it, regardless of the means. According to Machiavelli, â€Å"he who considers what ought to be done rather what is done will rather find himself in a state of ruin than preservation† (Machiavelli, 29). Political action free from any moral consideration is based from three assumptions: 1) Human nature is corrupt and selfish. It is impossible for the prince to satisfy all the needs of the people without injuring the welfare of others. The people is always eager to overthrow their government, to mock the instruments of the state, and to criticize the actions of the prince, whenever their interests (whether political or economic) are affected. According to Machiavelli, â€Å"Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children, as is said above, when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you† (Machiavelli, 29); 2) Morality and religion only limit the actions of the prince. In fact, when fortune fades away, the prince may become unable to defend himself from disconcerting threats. It is therefore important, according to Machiavelli, for the prince to â€Å"guard himself as from a rock; and he should endeavour to show in his actions greatness, courage, gravity, and fortitude; and in his private dealings with his subjects let him show that his judgments are irrevocable, and maintain himself in such reputation that no one can hope either to deceive him or to get round him† (Machiavelli, 32). The prince should endeavour to show himself as the bearer of righteousness, fidelity, and religion, without endangering his own power. This impression is only used to preserve the power of the state. Only in this way can religion and morality be twisted for the benefit of the prince; 3) The success of a prince is never solely dependent on law, morality, or religion. Sometimes, political success is achieved by political deception, alteration of political favors, and in general by arms. It is therefore necessary for the prince to use these instruments to preserve the instruments of the state. It is this condition that the position of a prince who took the state by arms is much more endangered than that of a prince appointed by the people or the Church. To preserve his power, the prince must take moral considerations and religion as only instruments of that purpose. General Critique In order to provide a more comprehensive criticism against Machiavellian politics, there is a need to draw important propositions from different thinkers and theories. Some of the selected philosophers and social theorists are as follows: St. Thomas Aquinas, Immanuel Kant, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. According to Aquinas, morality and religion are necessary instruments for the governance of the state. In his book â€Å"De Regnum† (On Kinship), Aquinas argued that it is always necessary for the ruler to take the precedents of moral and religious obligations as a means to please Divine justice (Curtis, 431). For Aquinas, the foundation of the state is divine in orientation. It is founded by the grace of the Divine Being (who willed the creation of the state after man’s fall). A prince who disregards the religion and morality disregards the Creator. Aquinas here does not disregard the necessity of preserving the power of the state. What Aquinas emphasized is the excesses of unscrupulous rule – a condition which would be punished by God. For Aquinas, a good prince ‘will always be favored by God’ (and preserve his base of power). Rousseau argued that morality is borne out of the so-called ‘social contract. ’ The people gathered to appoint a ruler who would promote their interests. The ruler has the following obligations: 1) to protect the people from threats, 2) to maintain peace and order, 3) to promote solidarity and good governance, and 4) to relinquish power whenever the people chooses a new ruler. A ruler who fails to accomplish these tasks would lose his position. The state, however, would remain intact because the instrument of power resides not in the prince but in the people. According to Rousseau, a prince who put all the instruments of power in his hands is more likely to fall than a prince who measure his authority based on public will. Montesquieu offered a more critical and comprehensive understanding of the position of the prince. According to him, an unruly rebellion of the people is tantamount to political disobedience – a violation of the law of the land. This instance applies only if two conditions are met. First, the ruler does not show any violation of the law. And second, the people unlawfully breaks the social contract and sought to depose a good government. In short, according to Montesquieu, there is no need for a ruler to follow the Machiavellian principles because the law is the manifestation of social and moral obligation, the codec of ethics (Curtis, 613). Here, one may infer that the actions of the ruler should be based solely on this criterion. A ruler who follows the law would never fall in disgrace. Using Kant’s universal moral standards (in his book â€Å"Prolegomena†), one can create a set of moral standards which would be used in judging the actions of a ruler. First, one should determine whether the consequence and intensity of political actions. If a political decision disfranchises a significant portion of the population, such decision is illegitimate (not morally neutral). Second, one may determine the means by which decisions are carried out. Here, legality is an important factor. Third, one may determine whether the actions of the state are in congruent with accepted international standards of morality. Here, an external standard is added in order to ensure the moral efficacy of the state in all levels. The proper enforcement of these external standards is either left to the disposition of international agencies or to the efficacy of treaties. In short, internal political standards of morality are enforced by the state (the people serve as the watch guard of the state). Machiavellian concepts of political deception and moral neutrality have no standing in this type of political set-up. Works Cited Curtis, Michael. The Great Political Theories. New York: Avon Books, 1981. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. Trans. by W. K. Marriott. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1995.

eaters of the dead essays

eaters of the dead essays In his novel, Eaters of the Dead, author Michael Crichton shows how the Volga Northmen were able to defeat their foes, the wendol, by using their intellect instead of their weapons. This is seen in four aspects. The theme of the novel is that physical courage is not enough to preserve your culture and lifestyle: intelligence and superior knowledge are absolutely essential. Conflict between the wendol and the Northmen shows which group has the intelligence to eliminate the other. Symbolism of wisdom, knowledge, and the lack of such things are used by Crichton to illustrate this moral. The juxtaposition of characters emphasizes the cleverness of the Volga Northmen compared to the Venden Northmen. The theme of the story is that applying intelligence and knowledge is essential in order to keep ones culture alive. A good proof of this is the lack of knowledge of Ahmad Ibn Fadlan, the narrator of the story. He is an Arab who "knows nothing of the ways of the world" (p. 77) because he has never truly experienced the world before that day, since he does not care for adventure. Having no experience with the world and having no knowledge, Ibn Fadlan slowly learns the Northmens way of life. In the end, felt he "had been born a Northman" (p. 152), having spent much time in their company and is no longer the coward he was when he started the trip. His lack of knowledge causes him to be a coward in battle, since he will be battling frightening, mysterious creatures. A better proof of this is that the wendol acts as if they are animals, which are unintelligent. The wendol makes "a low grunting sound, like the rooting of a pig" (p. 97), "have hair as long as a hairy dog" (p. 99), and wear the heads of dead animals as masks. They act as if they were brainless and cannot think of ways of attack on the Northmen. The only thing they can think of when they are losing is to retreat. Their ignorance to provide more guards at the second entrance...

Create a Genealogy GEDCOM File

Create a Genealogy GEDCOM File Whether youre using a stand-alone genealogy software program or an online family tree service, there are several reasons that you might want to create, or export, your file in GEDCOM format. GEDCOM files are the standard format used for sharing family tree information between programs, so are often necessary for sharing your family tree file with friends or family members, or for moving your information to a new software or service. They can be especially useful, for example, for sharing family tree information with ancestral DNA services which allow you to upload a GEDCOM file in order to help matches determine their potential common ancestor(s). Create a GEDCOM These instructions will work for most family tree software programs. See your programs help file for more specific instructions. Launch your family tree program and open your genealogy file.In the top-left hand corner of your screen, click the File menu.Select either Export or Save As...Change the Save as Type or Destination drop-down box to GEDCOM or .GED.Select the location where youd like to save your file (make sure its one you can easily remember).Enter a filename such as powellfamilytree (the program will automatically add the .ged extension).Click Save or Export.Some type of confirmation box will appear stating that your export has succeeded.Click OK.If your genealogy software program does not have the ability to protect the privacy of living individuals, then use a GEDCOM privatizing/cleaning program to filter the details of living people from your original GEDCOM file.Your file is now ready to share with others. Export From Ancestry.com GEDCOM files can also be exported from online ancestry member trees that you own or have shared editor access to: Log in to your Ancestry.com account.Click on the Trees tab at the top of the page, and select the family tree you would like to export.Click on the name of your tree in the upper-left corner and then select View Tree Settings from the drop-down menu.On the Tree Info tab (the first tab),  select Export Tree button under the Manage Your Tree section (bottom right).Your GEDCOM file will then be generated which may take a few minutes. Once the process is complete, click on the Download your GEDCOM file button to download the GEDCOM file to your computer. Export From MyHeritage GEDCOM files of your family tree can also be exported from your MyHeritage family site: Log into your MyHeritage family site.Hover your mouse cursor over the Family Tree tab to bring up a drop-down menu, and then select Manage Trees.From your the list of family trees that appears, click on Export to GEDCOM under the Actions section of the tree you would like to export.  Choose whether or not to include photos in your GEDCOM and then click on the Begin the Export button.A GEDCOM file will be created and a link to it sent your email address. Export From Geni.com Genealogy GEDCOM files can also be exported from Geni.com, either of your entire family tree or for a specific profile or group of people: Log into Geni.com.Click on the Family tab and then click the Share Your Tree  link.Select the GEDCOM export option.On the next page, select from the following options which export only the selected profile person plus the individuals in the group you have selected: Blood Relatives, Ancestors, Descendants, or Forest (which includes connected in-law trees and may take up to several days to complete).A GEDCOM file will be generated and sent to your email. Dont worry! When you create a genealogy GEDCOM file, the software or program creates a brand new file from the information contained in your family tree. Your original family tree file remains intact and unaltered.

Scholarship Essay Competition

Scholarship Essay Competition Scholarship Essay Competition Best Essay Education is a top academic writing service that, for years, has produced high quality academic writing for students in high school, college and graduate/professional programs. We pride ourselves in employing only the best writers, with Bachelor’s through Ph.D. degrees in all academic disciplines, so that we can serve any student need. As students use our service, and receive original, custom academic writing, they are able study those pieces and become better writers themselves. Best Essay Education has created a scholarship essay competition to encourage students to produce their own great essays and have the opportunity to win a sizeable financial award to help with their own educational expenses. Below, you will find all of the details. If you meet our entry requirements and are ready to craft that perfect essay, we urge you to enter. Who is Eligible? To apply, you must be a student at an accredited college, university, community college, oct-tech certificate program, or any graduate or equivalent professional program. High school students who have just enrolled in college, are certainly eligible. Essay Prompts Entrants must choose one of the following three prompts: Should students have the right to evaluate their teachers? Why or why not? If so, how should this be done? What new innovations promise to significantly change your life in college? How will they change your life? Of all of the environment threats, which do you see as the most dangerous right now? Rules 1. The entry is free, but a  student may only enter one time 2. The essay has a word maximum of 1,000 words and must be in English   3. Essays must be submitted through our application form or as a Word attachment, sent to @gmail.com, with the subject line â€Å"Scholarship Essay Contest.†Ã‚   4. Once the essay is submitted, entrants must access their Facebook, Twitter, Flipboard or Stumbleupon page and repost this page. Help us to spread the word about the scholarship to as many students as possible. 5. Entrants must also â€Å"Like† our Facebook page and â€Å"follow† us on Twitter.   6. No offensive, harassing, or incendiary, defaming content may be used.   7. By submitting an essay, the student is certifying that the content in fully original. 8. Entry automatically constitutes agreement on the part of the entrant to all of the Terms and Conditions listed below.   9. Entrant’s full name, email, and social media account ID’s should appear on a separate page and submitted with the essay. Methods of Judging All eligible essays will be evaluated by a panel of Best Essay Education writers and editors. The following criteria will be used: Originality of thought and structure Quality of grammar and composition, including organization, vocabulary, etc. Creativity and depth of thought    The panel shall determine the top three winners, based upon a scored rubric, and will then publish those winner names on its site, and social media pages, as it deems appropriate. Winners will receive notification via email and will be required to reply to those emails. Should a winner fail to respond to the email or, for any reason, refuse the prize award, the award will be provided to the entrant who is next in line. Deadline for entries is 30 November, 2017.    Terms and Conditions:  By submitting an entry to Scholarship Contest, the entrant automatically agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. Entrants attest that any entry submitted to the Best Essay.Education scholarship essay contest will be fully original and is one that has never been submitted or published anywhere else. We reserves the right to subject every entry to a plagiarism-scan, in order to verify originality. Once an entry is submitted, entrant agrees that all ownership rights to that essay are transferred to , and all copyright laws protect ownership by . Entrant understands and agrees that s/he may not reproduce, transfer, share, republish, or otherwise use or distribute the entry essay in any way, without express written permission. Entrant agrees that the company may use his/her name in publishing the contest entrants and/or winners. shall protect all other personal information of every contestant and shall not provide that personal information to any third party.

English 101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

English 101 - Essay Example I simply explore the library and discover the myriad books, magazines, papers, and documents that I would never have known existed. I find one at random, locate a quiet corner, and spend some time getting acquainted with my new discovery. I have encountered 200-year-old books that were written about the history of the local area. I have also found magazines from the late 1800s that I always find interesting. One particular magazine was a late 1800s Science magazine that had an article that was written by Charles Darwin, the father of the Theory of Evolution. Wherever I look, the books that I accidentally discover always pleasantly surprise my curiosity. While I enjoy simply visiting the library, it is also an excellent place to study. I not only have a well-lit and quiet area to work, I have the entire library available to answer any questions I have, or provide the reference material I may need. I often consider the library my second home away from

Do you Believe in Feng Shui Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Do you Believe in Feng Shui - Essay Example This is thus harmful energy and brings bad luck and negative energy from the surroundings into a house facing a T-junction because a house that is facing such a junction is said to have all the negative energy coming in from the road directly into the house without any place for it to escape. If the house is very close to the road then the bad energy seeps in with immense force and is very aggressive. For the purpose of this paper, I interviewed my parents and they tend to believe in Feng Shui a great deal; they have placed objects in their home on the basis of the same because they believe it helps to secure a better present and bring in the maximum amount of positive energy. Superstitions of Feng Shui are believed by many people around the world and as per personal opinion, I do feel that it is true as I have seen my parents practicing it on a daily basis and it has helped to make the home a lighter and more positive place. Every object in the household emanates a certain form of e nergy; the area that one’s home is placed in has a surrounding environment filled with different forms of energy and in order to churn out the most amount of positivity, it is important to place the objects carefully. It may be regarded as a cultural superstition but is indeed very scientific because it talks about the positive and negative forces of the earth; Feng Shui helps in calming the home by directing all the positive vibes inside. Having superstitions is not detrimental in nature because they help people to be careful; Feng Shui is a very positive superstition and thus it is only beneficial to people that follow it as it helps to channel good vibes into one’s home and keep oneself in a better mood throughout the course of the day which is brought on by positive vibes. It is suggested that if people live in T-junction facing homes, then they should try and get some landscaping done around the house for the energy to dissolve into the surroundings and not focus completely on the home and the members present within. Another way by which the effect of the bad energy can be mitigated is to be living near a road with very less traffic. In order to improve the positive energy in the household, every possible open space in the house should be landscaped in order to minimize the sharpness of the energy; doors and windows should be covered with plants to give out more oxygen and reduce the level of pollutants from the road. Yet another cure is to place a Bagua mirror inside the house which is another superstition that will be discussed further. It is believed that Bagua mirrors protect a household and bring it good luck and positive energy according to Feng Shui, especially if the home is placed in a wrong area or faces an environment consisting of bad or negative energy. The mirrors should ideally be hung outside the house in order to repel or ward off any kind of bad luck or energy passing through the house. Buildings and homes that are placed n ear T-junctions should ideally include these mirrors in order to ward off the negative energy that approaches them. The origin of this particular superstition may be traced to the i-Ching or the Chinese Book of Changes said to have been created more than 200 years BCE.     

Container and Shipping Industry Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Container and Shipping Industry - Research Paper Example All these services are specialised services and the industry will have to depend a lot on these suppliers. Therefore, the power of suppliers is quite substantial. Threat of New Entrants: Container and shipping industry is capital intensive business and requires huge amount of investment to start the business. Safety and environmental concerns result in high levels of regulations for the industry. Therefore, it may be not as easy for any company to enter into this business, as in a retail business. The threat of new entrants is not substantial. Bargaining Powers of Buyers/ customers: Customers of the services for the shipping and container industry include big corporate houses and manufacturers. In today's competitive environment what these companies require is timely delivery of goods. This would make these companies quite demanding at times, and the container industry would be on their toes to provide efficient services. Threat of Substitutes: Substitutes for the container and shipping industry are mainly the road, rail and air routes. ... ompetitive Rivalry: Though there are not many companies in the container and shipping industry, on account of the nature of the business, but there is intense competition amongst the established ones' like Braemar Shipping Services Plc from UK, Malaysia International Shipping Corporation Berhad, The Shipping Corporation of India Ltd., The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia etc. The factors like low level of product differentiation, high fixed costs and high exit barriers also give rise to good levels of competition. SWOT Analysis of the Industry Strengths: i. Long term agreements with clients, resulting in a committed client base ii. Specialised type of services, with an ability to carry huge quantities iii. High entry barriers in the form of higher investments and skills Weaknesses: i. Huge capital investments coupled with high depreciation costs results in lesser profit levels for the companies, which in turn results in delayed breakeven point ii. High exit barriers, imply that the company once in the business is compelled to remain in it for many more years irrespective of profit or loss being incurred Opportunities: iii. More movement of goods and services due to the trend amongst the MNCs to manufacture products in countries like China and then transport it back to the western world or Europe iv. Coordinated approach being adopted by leading players in the container and shipping industry v. With technological advancements it has become easier for the companies to track the movement of their consignments with techniques like GPS, RFIDs etc, which promises to make the industry much more efficient in the coming years. Threats: vi. Increasing threat of sea-pirates, particularly through the sea route via the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, where Somali pirates