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The author of "The Prince," Machiavelli gave advice to the kings of the 1500s & 1600s on how to rule. Today, in modern day politics his advice could be seen as cruel and evil, but back then he wrote about what worked. Do you think the ideas outlined by Machiavelli are evil? What ideas or concepts of his do you find to be particularly evil or fair?
3-4 Sentence reponse to question 2-3 Sentence reply to ONE other student
48 Comments
Claudia M.
5/1/2017 03:01:30 pm
I think something he did was fair. That was the book he wrote so everyone could read it.
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Kelby M.
5/1/2017 04:47:37 pm
Honestly his concepts were kinda bitter-sweet, yes you should totally not abuse your power and you should not steal peoples wives. but no it would be considered evil to slaughter people to power or to be shifty and be generous in public only.
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jack w.
5/2/2017 12:58:49 pm
I sorta agree because some of the things are completely fair and are things kings can do. But some of them are very bitter though and evil in one way our another.
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Brendan O.
5/3/2017 07:53:45 am
I agree with the fact that you shouldn't be so shifty, but it is what worked. I say everything he said was pretty much fair play.
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Jamie D.
5/3/2017 07:59:26 am
I agree! He told the kings what they should do to be a better ruler.
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Lidia K.
5/3/2017 12:53:32 pm
I agree! Some of the concepts he wrote were really good advice. Others are now considered as the worst thing you could possibly do. The world today has changed to some thing completely different then like the Middle Ages and the renaissance.
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jack w
5/2/2017 12:57:09 pm
I think the things he wrote about were fair. I think this because everything he talks about all has to do with being a better king.
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Olivia S
5/2/2017 05:41:14 pm
I agree with you because he was trying to be a good king. I believe that he was trying to be fair to everybody as a king. He was doing things to benefit everyone not just himself.
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SydneyH
5/2/2017 06:29:28 pm
I agree. He did help people become better kings if they listened, Plus it can't be evil if everyone can read because it's in a language they can understand. I mean that's pretty nice.
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Claudia M.
5/2/2017 02:52:07 pm
I think this is good but he wrote it for only the kings and only a few at the least.
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Miah V
5/2/2017 04:47:46 pm
I think most of the ideas Machiavelli where fair. Some of them were evil though like "punish hard, fast all at once. You don't have to punish people hard. You want people to like you but they won't like you if you punish them hard.
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Callie K.
5/3/2017 07:49:29 am
I agree with Miah. Most things where fair. Punishing people hard is mean.
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Olivia S
5/2/2017 05:23:00 pm
I believe that the rules were fair because if you do something bad you should deserve a penalty. It would be fair because then they wouldn't do it again. I think it wasn't that evil only the really brutal parts.
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SydneyH
5/2/2017 06:25:13 pm
I don't think they are evil because, You have to do what works.If you just did what you think is right doesn't always work. IN order to get things done you might have do some bad things. I mean for me personally sometimes being mean to people works. Not in a bad way though, like when i'm trying to do my homework and my brother is being an annoying brat sometimes i'll have to be mean because I know that's the only way he'll listen. You have to be nice sometimes to because if you're mean all the time they'll just get mad at you. Still with my brother if i'm to mean then he'll scratch me, but I don't care cause that gives me a reason to tell on him and get him in trouble. See sometimes you have to be "evil" to get what you want... Just don't scratch your siblings.
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Erin M.
5/3/2017 07:59:31 am
I agree with you Sydney because just do the right thing. But if you need to do it for it to work. Do it
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Brendan O.
5/3/2017 07:52:25 am
While today Machiavelli's tactics would be unreasonable, back in his day, it was all fair play. No one played by the rules, why should you? In an example of sports or video games if everyone in a sport is breaking the rules and not getting caught, why shouldn't you? Or if everyone are exploiting the game by hacking or such, why shouldn't you? For his day, that was just counter-acting other people. It was basically a fight for who could break the rules better.
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Angela C.
5/3/2017 05:33:23 pm
I agree with the way you're thinking, it was just their way of doing things back in their day. It's what worked, it doesn't necessarily have to be fair just has to be efficient.
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Spencer.c
5/5/2017 07:55:43 am
I agree with you Brendan not everything you do back in the day could help you now.
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Callie K.
5/3/2017 07:53:21 am
I think that most of the things where fair. They don have to be mean and punish people. Also the book can be helpful, and useful. It also might help you if you are clueless on how to rule.
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Miah V
5/3/2017 02:26:51 pm
I agree with you Callie most of the things were fair. The book can be helpful like you would want to be feared than loved.
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Nkayvian E
5/3/2017 07:55:16 am
I think his ideas are smart. his ideas seem to work because that is almost how it is today with our president.
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Erin M.
5/3/2017 07:57:48 am
I don't think they are evil or nice because well to do the right thing sometimes you have to do the bad thing. For example as doing the right thing but in a bad way. Your parents must ground you or something or give you a spankin' to get you to learn your lesson. Or maybe you work it out with a sibling but in a nice way like talking
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Claudia M.
5/5/2017 07:28:41 am
LOL spankin'
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Jamie D.
5/3/2017 07:57:55 am
I believe that it depends on how you think about it. The things he told them to do were pretty evil because he told the kings to only be kind and generous in public. He said that you should only give things to the poor if there is an audience. He also said that if he has to do something bad, he should make the people/person below him to do it for him. Machiavelli can also be considered kind because he told the kings what they should do to be a better ruler.
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Zoie J.
5/5/2017 07:43:29 am
I agree with you Jamie; it really depends on how you look at it. Though what he was telling the ruler to do was lie. He was also giving them advice to help male their kingdom more orderly and under control. Then again during his time people wouldn't mind as much as doing them now.
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Spencer.c
5/5/2017 07:57:20 am
I agree with you they say to look good in public but you're still a bad person. And only give something to someone while people are looking so it makes you look good.
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Ryan R
5/3/2017 07:59:09 am
I think his ideas are fair. With the things that people are doing today, I'd be willing to say that his ideas were godlike. If anyone says that his ideas weren't fair, I get where you're coming from though.
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Xavier L.
5/5/2017 07:46:26 am
I agree Ryan, his ideas were pretty fair. At least most of them, besides killing your enemies to gain power or any other of that framing or blackmail stuff.
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Wilson M.
5/5/2017 07:59:21 am
I agree with you Ryan because Machiavelli was just showing how to run a kingdom or country. He shows how to be firm and strong and keep your kingdom in one piece.
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Lidia K.
5/3/2017 12:59:29 pm
I think the advice in the book The Prince were mostly fair advice. Back when it was written it seems like the best thing you could do to be the best ruler and be remembered. Yes some things were too harsh but it is just how we see it today. If we were in their time, then we would see all of this differently.
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Brisy F.
5/5/2017 07:48:43 am
I agree with you Lidia. I think the advice was fair. To this day, you shouldn't steal people's wives or steal. Everyone has their own point of view. Some may say his idea's were very harsh, but some might say they were fair.
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Angela C.
5/4/2017 04:01:55 pm
I find that the advice in The Prince were fair in its own way. In our society today, I don't think it would be allowed at all. Back then it was a social norm, it's what worked and what most people sought out for a king.
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Mary P.
5/5/2017 07:47:00 am
I agree with you Angela! In our society his advice would be very cruel to put into use, but during the time period of the Renaissance, it was what some people wanted a king to do.
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Kevin R.
5/5/2017 07:36:42 am
I think his advice was in the middle because sometimes it was very unfair Because you would just kill people for no reasons it would also be fair at times because it would help you and the citizens.
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Xavier L.
5/5/2017 07:40:06 am
I think back then it would've made sense. It tells how to become a king or boss back then. Sure most of it would not be necessary in modern times now. But it did or would work back then.
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Catherine S
5/7/2017 03:11:01 pm
I agree with Xavier in the 1500 and 1600 Machiavelli's advice was great. But many of Machiavelli's ideas would not be needed now. Now we have knew advancements and the world is not as violent all round as it was. Today we could have worse violence because of modern weaponry but normally you can trust your neighbor now. But back then there were different groups of people who wanted to conquer each other and take control over Europe and Asia. So if you went back in time to the 1500 - 1600 time period Machiavelli's ideas would be good advice to control your kingdom and rule. This is why I agree with Xavier.
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Zoie J.
5/5/2017 07:40:16 am
The advice Machiavelli gave was cruel but, good advice. Sometimes you have to be more harsh and, violent to make sure people listen to what you say. All though people love to have a ruler who is nice or kind; we would end up taking advantage of them to get what we want. So sometimes you have to rule with an iron fist to make sure people understand what the king wants them too do.
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Kelby m.
5/5/2017 07:59:01 am
I agree even though most of it today would be bad advice but back then it was the best adviser ever. because back then people were violent and ruthless.
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Mary P.
5/5/2017 07:44:31 am
I don't think his ideas were evil in the time period where it was wrote, but today if those same ideas were used it would be a very harsh rule. Some of his ideas were fair at the time period during the Renaissance, such as the one about a gun being a mans best friend. I mean all that happened the most were wars and revolts, so it makes sense.
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Marie H.
5/5/2017 07:56:38 am
I agree with you, Mary. In our time period, most of his ideas are considered evil, but at the time when he wrote ¨The Prince¨, his ideas were fair and made sense. Today, murdering hundreds of people because they don´t agree with you sounds crazy, but back then, it was completely normal.
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Gianna S
5/7/2017 09:52:46 am
I agree with Mary. I agree with you because if we went back and changed what he did wrong we would have a different world and it could be more nice or way more harsh.
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Brisy F.
5/5/2017 07:45:42 am
I think 'The Prince' is fair because it's pretty right. You shouldn't steal peoples wive's or if you were a loved ruler and you did something bad, you would probably think "Oh, so and so is so nice, he/she would never punish me." Boi, you did something wrong, you deserve the consequence. Like Machiavelli said, it's better to be feared then loved because people would then not steal, kill or steal people's wives because of the consequence.
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Marie H.
5/5/2017 07:53:01 am
I don´t necessarily think his ideas were evil, I just think they were a little cruel. I think that his ideas that you should punish hard fast and all at once, it is not important to have great abilities it is only important to seem to have them, once people have tasted freedom, they will never forget it, so the best thing to do is kill them, man is wicked and can´t be trusted, man is easily fooled so be a good liar, and man is weak so only the fear of punishment will keep them in line are all evil. All the rest I think are fair, I just don´t feel like listing them all.
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Spencer.c
5/5/2017 07:53:51 am
I think the "Prince" is right you don't Mr.steal your girl someone for no reason what if they try to fight back then what you'll be wanted for kidnapping someone.
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Catherine S
5/5/2017 07:56:59 am
I do not think that Machiavelli's ideas were evil. His idea's were what you had to do to be successful. Would you rather do everything perfectly right, or would you rather do lots of good because of some bad? Like Machiavelli's idea of it is ok to cheat do not get caught. This is somewhat ok well back then because everybody cheats so that is the only way to stay in the game. This is not the best thing to do but you had to do what you had to do. Another one of Machiavelli's ideas is that " a gun is a mans best friend." This is no the most peaceful or nice thing to do but it helps. Would you rather be nice and be conquered or shed some blood but save most of your people? Not all of his ideas were the best thing to do but they worked. It could be for the "greater good" doing some bad things for the good ideas. This is why I think that Machiavelli's ideas were not evil.
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Gianna S
5/7/2017 09:49:35 am
I think that his ideas were not evil. I think that because some things that he wrote were good advice to people. Like he helped the kings become better at their job.
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Wilson M.
5/7/2017 06:42:31 pm
I think Machiavelli was being fair because he wa just telling how to be a good leader. He was showing that you have to be firm. Not have anyone push you around be feared so no one mess with you. But don't be too mean because people will revolt against you.
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Lillie P.
5/7/2017 07:35:02 pm
I think some of the things he did were not fair but some were
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