See the prompt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

See the prompt - Essay Example ..† Machiavelli, p. 55. This quotation is from the book The Prince by Machiavelli 4. â€Å"Our love of what is beautiful does not lead to extravagance; our love of the things of the mind does not make us soft. We regard wealth as something to be properly used, rather than as something to boast about.† Pericles, p. 147 5. â€Å"The bourgeoisie, wherever it has got the upper hand, has put an end to all feudal, patriarchal, idyllic relations. It has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his natural superiors, and has left no other bond between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous cash payment† Marx, p. 738. This quote is from â€Å"Manifesto of the Communist Party, Chapter I â€Å"Bourgeois and Proletarians.† 1. When one lives the life away from the public eye, it is known as private life. Socrates reasons out his choice for living a private life that enabled him practice philosophy. He says that he has the divine umbr ella that protects and guides him for dos and don’ts in life. As for taking active part in life, he asserts that he has no divine directions. Socrates was too sincere, too honest as such he was unfit to be in public office and he would not be able to survive in the dishonesty prevailing over there. A public life is one that concerns and associates with the state. This area is engulfed with secular interests. According to the convictions of Socrates, if he were to take active interest in politics, in all probability it would not help him nor would it help the society. Personally his actions and responses are identical whether they concern the private or public life. One can control and discipline one’s private life, but as for public lifean individual is controlled by extraneous considerations and will have to make compromise with truth. 2. According to John Stuart Mill, self-will is one of the great misdemeanors of man. The barometer of goodness of humanity consists in obedience. A man has no choice but to act and perform. That which the human being does not consider as duty is a sin. Human nature is fundamentally corrupt as such redemption is only possible by killing human nature from within. With this perspective of life, demolishing any other human faculties, capabilities and vulnerabilities cannot be considered as evil. †¦ Man needs no capacity, but that of surrendering himself to the will of God, meaning the capacity to surrender itself is a great quality and liberty is kindergarten stuff as compared to the capacity to surrender. This is the Calvinistic theory. For man is the controller of all types of liberties. For an individual who knows the infinite power of surrender, individual liberty is of no consequence to him. Individual liberty is the demand by the imperfect individual. Total surrender is the domain of the perfect individual. 3. This book contains the guidelines for the dictators and tyrants to rule their subjects. Most of th e important rulers of Europe have benefited from the advice contained in the book and they helped to shape the governing policies. It has been hailed as the supreme guide of governance. The dictums prescribed by Machiavelli must have appealed to the baser instincts of such undemocratic rulers. He believed that the origin and substance of power was through wicked actions. He carefully distinguishes between getting and retaining power, which is done by wicked actions, but it is not possible to