Machiavelli's Letter To Prince Lorenzo De Piero

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Throughout history many writers have attempted to describe the ideal state. In Plato’s The Republic, Socrates creates his ideal society during a discussion of whether justice is part of the human spirit. The discussion occurs between Socrates and a group of men who, for the most part, go along with whatever Socrates states. Plato uses this group of men to create arguments for Socrates to crush and affirm that justice is necessary not only part of the human spirit but necessary in the ideal state. Centuries later, Niccoló Machiavelli wrote his letter to Prince Lorenzo de Piero, otherwise known as the The Prince. In his letter, Machiavelli’s work creates a legitimate counterargument against Socrates. He describes his ideal principality, the belief that a prince do whatever necessary in order to stay in power, even if it means acting deceitfully and unjust.…show more content…
He often references historical events, both ancient and recent, to support his suggestions. He regards his work as the better guide because it “follows the real truth of things” (Machiavelli, 39). On the other hand, Machiavelli criticizes works such as The Republic when he states, “For many Republics and Princedoms have been imagined that were never seen or known to exist in reality” (Machiavelli, 40). In other words, Plato focuses on what should the ideal state look like while Machiavelli cites history in order to claim how the ideal state actually runs. The Prince provides a fresh outlook on statecraft for its era, while previous works focused on “the greater good” and justice, Machiavelli suggests that that outlook is delusional in
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