Comparison & contrast between plato and machiavelli

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1- I personally believe that American pluralism is more reflective of Machiavelli's political philosophy. Our textbook defines American pluralism as various coalitions vying for political power, and a general, more or less, discord between factions with different opinions, interests, etc., all fighting for a chance in the political spotlight; for Plato, there would be no groups or coalitions vying for political power, there would be set rulers would be thoroughly educated and trained and subsequently given absolute power. In Plato's ideal political nirvana, wielding power was a skill that only certain people, namely certain philosophers, with affinity and natural skill for it could obtain, and when obtained they held absolute power for long periods of time. Machiavelli, however, had a different approach, for him, he was more concerned with how one would obtain the power and how to hold it, not about who could rule. Machiavelli thought of politics as more of a game, the better you played it, the more power you could hold for longer periods of time; which is apparent, heavily, in American pluralism. In American pluralism to get what you want sometimes it is necessary to lie and be cunning, like a fox as Machiavelli put it; Machiavelli was aware that that is how politics was and is currently, and he was not concerned with the morality of it; Machiavelli was a self proclaimed political realist and put his own moral convictions to the side to play the game of politics and to play it right, unlike Plato who is dubbed an idealist and was more concerned with how the state should be ruled.

To summarize, American pluralism is played like a game with different groups, more or less, fighting for political spotlight, and in this game morals and personal convictions are left at the door if you want to be a real contender; Machiavelli knew this and was concerned with how to play it and play it effectively to wield the most and longest amount of power and not with moral obligations, like Plato

2- The political philosophies of Plato and Machiavelli's differ greatly from each other. The American pluralism theory, is more reflective of Machiavelli's philosophy. According to Losco & Baker (2017), "pluralism asserts that various groups and coalitions constantly vie for government favor and the ability to exercise political power" (p. 5). American pluralism therefor, is exercising power by several people or groups. These groups of people can participate in the government or politics and create laws. In comparison to Machiavelli's philosophy, where he stated that "politics is the exercise of state power". For Michiavelli, authority and power are essentially coequal: whoever has power has the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power and the good person has no more authority by virtue of being good (Nederman, 2015, para.8). For Michiavelli, the most important goal is the maintenance of power. He believed that a successful ruler must know what power is. In a pluralist's point of view, power can be achieved by any group and no specific person or group can solely be powerful. In American politics, people can change certain policies and organized certain groups that will do so if they think that laws will not particularly work for their favor.

In contrast, Plato's philosophy or view in politics is directed towards morality and public order. He believes that a ruler is specifically trained. Not everyone can be a ruler and people that exercise their power must be just. Unlike Pluralism, several groups can lead or not one is considered powerful. Plato thought that the ruling class should be morally excellent, and in The Republic he lays out a plan to ensure, as far as humanly possible, that virtuous individuals compose the ruling class (Reason and Meaning, 2016). In Plato's philosophy, to have an acceptable government is to have "moral leaders".

3- According to Merriam Webster, Pluralism is a state of society in which members of diverse ethnic, racial, religious, or social groups maintain and develop their traditional culture or special interest within the confines of a common civilization. That's why there is no doubt that America's Pluralism is a slight reflection of Machiavelli's political philosophy.

According to Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher of renaissance, Machiavelli wanted to persuade the monarch that he could best preserve his power by the judicious use of violence, by respecting private property and the traditions of his subjects, and by promoting material prosperity. Machiavelli held that political life cannot be governed by a single set of moral or religious absolutes. Whereas, in America, according to the Chapter two of Am Gov., the first three amendments emphasize liberties including freedom of speech, freedom of religion etc. Now, in united states citizens exercise freedom of religion, which Machiavelli advocated on his treaties called The Prince in 1513.

On the other hand, according to Plato, democracies will become increasingly undisciplined and chaotic. At the end, people will want someone to institute law and order and quiet things down. Giving sufficient power to someone to do that leads to the next kind of state, and that would be a philosopher king. According to chapter of AM GOV book, to limit the reach of the government the framers divided the American government into three parts, executive, legislature ad judiciary and there is checks and balances to maintain power between the branches of government. Such a division of power goes against Plato's advocating of a single ruler who exercise absolute power.

That's why it can be said that America's pluralism is more reflected from Machiavelli's political philosophy than Plato's.

4- American pluralism is more closely related to the works of Machiavelli. Machiavelli’s foundation for what he believed was essentially that, to gain and maintain power was to do it without considering being morally or ethically correct. Whereas Plato, the fundamentals of his philosophy were to do right by the state by exuding good morals and ethics to the community.

For example, when politicians are vying for presidency, Americans will often see negative campaign adds against their opponents denouncing their stance on policies, future intentions for the United States, and their integrity. The end goal for the politicians are to persuade those of all political parties to vote for them, to instill either fear in those that oppose them, all the while being successful at it. This is similar to an excerpt from The Prince: “… in his new principality to secure himself against enemies, to gain friends, to conquer by force or fraud, to make himself beloved and feared by the people, followed and reverenced by the soldiers, to destroy those who can and may injure him”. Furthermore, this type of action could also be recognized as “the end justifies the mean”.

In the documentary, “Who’s Afraid of Machiavelli?” many of the commentators mentioned that Machiavelli’s philosophy was to encourage those who seek power, to use their qualities as an advantage, seek acceptance, and persuade the people. Once accepted, the person in power can adopt, change, implement any policies, regardless of what the state/nation believes is right or beneficial to them. This too is also very similar to issues that are currently occurring in politics. For instance, during Trump’s campaign, he stated he wanted to help and implement programs to reduce student loans and debt. However, when he was elected, there were detrimental impacts to educational funding; the educational plan was to cut more than $2 billion in funding. Many people voted for him in hopes that there would be positive change, but when it came to this proposition, it was the opposite. This showed that he said what he needed to, to gain support, and ultimately deceived people once he held power.

5- I believe that Machiavelli's political philosophy is more reflective to American pluralism; Plato's political view was that the citizens were supposed to serve the state and in Lesson 2: Politics and Alternatives to Pluralistic Believes this verse "the stable keeper should be satisfied with this role in the community and not aspire to become a horse owner or, for that matter, any other position." in my opinion goes against American pluralism. Pluralist insist that no one group is superior to another. Machiavelli's political view on the other hand, was that any individual was free to exercise their power.

6- After reading the lessons and watching the videos, in my opinion American pluralism has more attributes reflective of Plato's political philosophy, however today it can be seen as Machiavellian. The American political system is a democratic system that has progressed to hear the voices of the public and to make changes based on those voices. Similar to the “Lesson 2: Politics and Alternatives to Pluralistic Politics” under American Pluralism, the AMGOV textbook defines pluralism with “There's an emphasis on fairness, competition, and the use of morals as well as no one "enjoying long-term dominance". However, the American system is dissimilar to Plato's philosophy because although everyone in the public does a job to contribute to something much larger, there is the ambition to progress, become wealthier and educated, and to accomplish goals like the American dream.

The American political system has also been making changes very apparent to the public that is today is not morally correct and continually affecting social aspects of the United States in a negative way which further separates it from Plato’s political philosophy. The Machiavelli political philosophy is how to achieve power, even if in a way that is much like a game. In the video “BBC Imagine: Who’s Afraid of Machiavelli”, at 17:30, "There are different types of political leaders. There are the types who come into office with high ideals, they want to change things, they want a reform, they believe they're doing something for the good of the public, and then they realize that politics is warfare and they have to adapt to this environment. There are others who are Machiavellian by nature". This can be seen in the 2016 presidential election that went against many American morals, where the popular vote did not indicate who won, and investigations with communication, abuse of power, government hacking, etc. This rise to power is more reflective of Machiavelli’s political philosophy.

7- American pluralism is when there is an idea and members of government have opinions that shape the country's legislation.“Politics is the exercise of the state power”(Machiavelli). This system shows the constant power struggle that occurs every day. In the supreme court one half is conservative and the other is liberal. This makes judgement difficult to come to a conclusion. The balance of power seems equal but there will always be a struggle. Trump showed a clear lust for power in this last election. The now president of the United States had everything a warm blooded American could ever ask for. Wealth, respect, and a loving family that portrayed the true American dream. Yet, he chose to run for office because he was not satisfied with the power he already had. This man pushed for the ultimate respect a person can obtain in this country. Machiavelli believes that humans will do whatever is necessary to gain and preserve power for themselves. Most who choose the path to become politicians and judges have a need to reach for the highest branch possible. Mayors and councilmen strive to become member of congress or the senate. Judges are working to become a part of the supreme court. In some cases some may be satisfied with their current position, but almost all feel the need for greater power. “I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.” (Machiavelli, The Prince 76). This relates tremendously to the American dream to work hard and never to be satisfied with average goals. In this society children are told to strive to be the best and work hard to achieve those goals. This primal need for power motivates this generation to do whatever is necessary to receive that respect. American politics especially encourages the participants to gain power and earn that well deserved respect.

8- I think that American pluralism is more reflective on Machiavelli's political philosophy. Pluralism is defined by multiple people, groups, or entities share political power. Machiavelli believed that everyone should have the right to have a say in government regardless of their religion, power, status and so on, where as Plato believed that only people of power should have a say in who controls the government and anyone under that status should not be allowed to vote and be appointed to run the government. American pluralism is how our government is ran today. We as people, are allowed to go out and vote on laws, legislative, presidents and more as a group categorized in different parties and the party with the most votes win. Everyone one is allowed to vote, under certain rules, but a person is not discriminated against because of their social status, race, religion, education, and even sexual orientation. If American pluralism was more reflective of Plato's political philosophy then only the rich and powerful would be able to vote and everyone else would not have a say on who can run our country.

9- Machiavelli argues that a leader benefits from the weaker traits of a society. If the society is easily manipulated the leader is where he needs to be as the upper hand. He believes that it is the rulers responsibility for the well-being of the society and to gain this advantage it should take any means to do so. On the contrary Plato's political philosophy was a more fair outlook on the way the government should be run. He believed that good virtue should be involved with the way the government is run rather than becoming of power through any way possible. By definition American pluralism is the theory that a multitude of groups, not the people as a whole, govern the United States.With this being said American pluralism is more reflective of Machiavelli philosophy because it parallels more with pluralism than Plato's does.

10- American pluralism is surely more reflective of Plato’s political philosophy. American Pluralism is the set foundation of how politics work in America, according to the passage of American Pluralism, it states that it is quite common for individuals interest and beliefs in a society to collide and be augmented upon, “it is natural for different factions to exist, for interests to conflict, for varying viewpoints to be expressed”. Due to this a superiority group must contain the arguments debated upon among American individuals, that is the state, “...the state is to serve as a neutral mediator in such conflicts.”. Many collision of ideas and beliefs that break out into arguments among our society are believed to be fair and equally viewed on amongst the government and state. Leading into Plato’s philosophy where he believed that everyone small or great in a society have differentiation in a job but equal amount of importance. Where those with different skills lead different jobs, “Plato believed that people differ in capability or ability to acquire and exercise various skills”. He believed that those with better understanding and capability to rule should be given complete authority as it is a skill that should be learned, “He contended that those with the greatest skill in ruling should be given absolute authority”. Like the way our government politics works, the states are given more authority as they have the amount of skilled capable individuals that deal with Americans different viewpoints and take every argument in consideration to set order and cause good to the community. As our society grows in competition, conflict and confrontations of arguments, the state is set to be a mediator and the philosophy of Plato is reflected on American Pluralism because his philosophy was that there should be individuals with great amount of authority that have the capability to rule a society for the greater good.

11- When researching both Plato and Machiavelli's theories both have accurate political views that fall into today's world. Machiavelli's theory is more of an individual political person where you as an individual can express your own power this goes for our 1st Amendment "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances"- US Constitution. Machiavelli's strives for more moral views and puts aside public moral views. therefore just be you. Where as Plato Reflects more of the "American Pluralism". Plato's political philosophy has similarities into our political life today. As Plato has stated in his own words “Politics is the quest for a just and moral public order.". Plato shows how strongly he feels in how society should be ruled and how one's personal job should be his own quest for society and life goal such as, "A farmer should stay a farmer and not become an owner of horses"- Lesson 2 Politics and Alternatives to Pluralistic Politics. In today's world we see how that still takes place, when it comes to politics many have an opinion but not all human begins get to be part of the congress or even a president. To have a position in that rank it takes a lot more than intelligence, our government is full of 'whites' where as only a few are people of color. "States and localities retain sovereign power over their own jurisdictions, yielding to the central government only limited authority as needed" AM GOV (pg.42) We as people have freedom of speech but at the end of the day government officials have the higher power even if we vote and express ourselves , the people are not being heard for it's needs.

12- American pluralism is more reflective of Plato's philosophy due to various reasons. For instance, Plato was a man that believed to achieve true freedom one should take part in the government and not simply sit back and watch everything happen. In contrast to Machiavelli, who was a man that did not really care for morals or how to achieve goals, but simply how a prince himself should exercise power. Another contrast between the two would be how Plato would be concerned with how society should be ruled, while Machiavelli would be concerned with how to obtain power and its reality. American pluralism now a representative democracy in which we hold public officials accountable. Similar to the type of government that was held by Plato in his time.

13- American pluralism today is reflective of Machiavelli's political philosophy. Plato’s paints to us a perfect world were as Machiavelli comes to us with a harsh reality. Machiavelli expressed that "Politics is the exercise of state power." Machiavelli believed that it didn't matter if a leader was unjust or evil or what means had to be taken to preserve the nation. He stated in his book that, A Prince's main duty is the preservation of his country and the protection of his subjects. "A Prince, therefore should have no care or thought but for war, and the regulations and training it requires and should apply himself exclusively to this as his peculiar province; for war is the sole art looked for in one who rules" (Machiavelli, P. 70). The Prince is a perfect raw and brutally honest example of what we live today.

14- American pluralism is more reflective of Machiavelli's political philosophy vs Plato's political philosophy because Machiavelli believes that the government and politics help strengthen the power of the state. Although we may have freedom, as a society, our power has weakened because we need our politics to focus on what can drive the success of obtaining that power. Pluralism asserts that various groups and coalitions constantly vie for government favor and the ability to exercise political power; but none enjoys long-term dominance (AM GOV p.5) Plato's understanding of American pluralism is how society views the skills that are beneficial to the community in order to obtain that type of authority. The reality of exercising the power of the state is we are constantly trying to find ways on how to make the state stronger and more powerful so that we could obtain stability.