First Assignment

     As it is one of the most important and key points in "The Prince" by Machiavelli, I want to focus on the subject of virtue, his argument about a prince should always appear good, but also be prepared to be evil if it is necessary. In "The Prince" , Machiavelli depicts virtues as some important features that is to given praise  by other important things like generosity, piety and compassion. He says that a prince should always be virtuous but being these kind of virtuous alsa should be depending upon a principality. What he really means here that, a prince should have some important good characteristics, but in case, he should also be ready to be evil and have some bad characteristics such as cruelty or dishonesty to be beneficial to the state. These kind of bad characteristics should not be pursued, they should be as means to an end as Machiavelli argues. The very important thing here is; these kind of behaviors or characteristics should not be considered as a bad moral value, it should be considered in the light of the effect on the state.

     [Only the expenditure of one’s own resources is harmful; and, indeed, nothing feeds upon itself as liberality does. The more it is indulged, the fewer are the means to indulge it further. As a consequence, a prince becomes poor and contemptible or, to escape poverty, becomes rapacious and hateful. Of all the things he must guard against, hatred and contempt come first, and liberality leads to both. Therefore it is better to have a name for miserliness, which breeds disgrace without hatred, than, in pursuing a name for liberality, to resort to rapacity, which breeds both disgrace and hatred.]

     This quotation from the text shows how Machiavelli suggests prince to be beneficial to the state while being evil.He says prince should not let some perceptions of virtue interfering the state. He says sometimes, some good characteristics can seem very admirable, it can be sometimes not good and avoided. He advises him that a prince cannot be hated too much because of the lack of virtue. Sometimes it can be necessary to lack of the virtue and to be evil, but it should be known that it is not for the morality, it is for the state.
     In my opinion, I totally agree with this idea. According to me, as a prince, he should have both characteristics; good and evil. What I mean here is, unless he has just good or just evil characteristics, he cannot be beneficial for the state and society. If necessary -and sometimes it is really necessary- he should show the bad sides of him to be good.