“The shocking lesson
of The Prince isn’t that politics demands dirty hands, but that politicians
shouldn’t care”
By: Michael Ignatieffnov, who teaches at the
University of Toronto and Harvard’s Kennedy School
Level of difficulty: ***
Note to the student: this task
was labeled level *** because of the conceptual difficulty of the subject
matter and the writing task; not for lexical reasons
BEFORE YOU READ
It is
suggested that you do some research on the life of Machiavelli, a 15th century
Florentine thinker, to be able to get some background. It is also suggested
that you seek out some videos to watch. Having familiarized yourself with the
man and his work, get stuck in. Make sure to annotate the text as you read
for the essay task.
QUESTIONS
1.
For
what two reasons is the scene in The Situation Room described at the beginning
of the text a Machiavellian moment?
2.
What
seems to the main idea of The Prince?
There are two possible answers; find both.
3.
What
surprising epithet does Bobbitt assign Machiavelli? Why?
4.
What
conclusion can we draw about Machiavelli from Bobbitt, Viroli and Vivanti’s
views? There are two possible answers; find both.
5.
What
set Machiavelli aside from other political thinkers who claimed politicians
cannot always do good? There are two possible answers; find both.
6.
What
unrealistic perception do we have of politicians?
7.
What
does “It” refer to in the sentence “It is a mistake”?
8.
Why
was Machiavelli wary of Christian principle and religious moralizing?
9.
Machiavelli
believed in the importance of:
·
Elections
·
Avoiding
war and turmoil
·
Public
opinion
·
All
of the above
·
None
of the above
·
Other:
please specify
10.
What
does “This moral clarity” refer to?
11.
What
was the real issue Machiavelli was trying to address in The Prince?
12.
According
to Machiavelli, was Obama’s decision to invade the compound in Pakistan right
or wrong? Why?
13.
Machiavelli
would probably have approved of the current international policy not to
intervene in Syria because it is difficult………………………………………………………………………………..
14.
According
to Machiavelli, a good leader is someone:
·
Who
doesn’t suffer from insomnia
·
Who
is a risk taker
·
Who
is morally upright
·
All
of the above
·
None
of the above
·
Other:
please specify
WRITING TASK
You have just read all about a very
controversial book which has been around for over 500 years. What are your
views of the views expressed in The Prince? Write a reaction essay on the
topic. Follow the plan below:
In your introduction, you can either describe the political and historical context and
introduce Machiavelli or introduce the dilemma concerning politicians and wind
up by discussing Machiavelli and The
Prince.
In your first developmental paragraph, summarize the views expressed in The Prince. Summarize doesn’t mean
copy-paste; it means take the ideas but not the language so use the notes you
made. Also make sure that you have covered all the main points and left out the
details. If you are not sure how to do this, check out the section on summaries
on this blog.
In your second developmental paragraph, state your opinions and to what extent you
agree with Machiavelli. Remember to support your views.
In your conclusion, write a restatement. If you don’t know how to do this, check out the
sample essays written by professionals.
MACHIAVELLI WAS RIGHT KEY AND TEACHER’S NOTES
Machiavelli and his famous book The Prince are things university
students should have some idea about and hopefully this brilliant little text
will serve this purpose. I also feel that the views expressed will be of great
interest to the modern student and as such, the text has a most definite wow
factor. The advantages of the text do not end here: it lends itself to some
good questions and a brilliant summary task as a part of the reaction essay. I
would advise teachers to make sure students annotate the text correctly and
make notes to use later. This is a very important skill that they will need
throughout university. You will see that there are multiple answers to some
questions and I require students to find both; I do this to test students’
paraphrasing skills.
1.
Because
a political leader is taking ultimate risks that go with the exercise of power;
because it is an instance when public necessity requires actions that private
ethics and religious values might condemn as unjust and immoral.
2.
There
is a gulf between private conscience and the demands of public action; in
politics, evil deeds cease to be evil if urgent public interest makes them
necessary.
3.
The
great theorist of the early modern state; he understood that if power was no
longer personal, no longer exercised by a Medieval lord, it had to be moralized
in a new public ethic based on reason of state.
4.
Machiavelli
was, in fact, a brilliant writer, a good companion and a passionate patriot; he
was a misunderstood forerunner of the Italian Risorgimento calling for…
5.
He
believed politicians shouldn’t worry about doing evil in the name of public
good. Now stop and think about why the clauses are reversed. The second
answer: he was unconcerned with dirty hands.
6.
We
want our politicians to be suffering servants, lying awake at night, wrestling
with the conflict between private morality and public good
7.
Gratuitous
cruelty
8.
Because
someone who believes he has God on his side is capable of anything
9.
2
and 3
10.
A
clear sighted appreciation of how men really are as distinct from how they
ought to be. This much is enough.
11.
When
and how much ruthlessness is necessary in the world of politics.
12.
It
was right; because it was the use of violence to protect the republic; OR, the
violence was not gratuitous.
13.
To
discern a clear target or a defensible
strategic objective.
14. None of the above. The first alternative doesn’t reflect
Machiavelli’s view; he says a leader should not lose sleep over unpleasant
decisions. The second alternative won’t work either because Machiavelli wants
the leader to be able to take risks when necessary; not an adrenalin junky.
