Dagoberto Lastra
Ms.Strong
2/10/15
Comp 1302-17 The Prince Meets The Art of War Machiavelli and Sun Tzu were both masters of leadership and philosophy through their reputable literature- The Art of War and The Prince. Both of these writings have helped teach generations of leaders the fundamentals of what it takes to be an effective leader and which still hold true even in today’s world. Although being quiet similar, they both had their differences. Machiavelli and Sun Tzu can both bee seen as either offensive or defensive through their military strategies and philosophical ideas on politics. We can easily compare and contrast both of them with seeing what ideas they support. One of them being an advocate for nonviolent warfare and the…show more content… It contains information that shows how to rise into power and only satisfy your needs and your monarch’s needs and not those of the people. In the book Machiavelli describes how political power must be exercised in the real world and how we must take into account the unsavory characteristics of us humans. “[a] mbition cruelty, greed, gullibility and incompetence”(pg184). Machiavelli doesn't seem to use or have any moral thought when trying to accumulate and maintain power. He believes that the rulers must be manipulative and deceiving with politics and the people. However, he does clarify that in order to be a successful ruler, one must find ways to win over the people, the so-called “hearts and minds” (Machiavelli pg.163) of his people so that the monarchy can be successful on many levels. This can be demonstrated when he focuses on the importance of leading with care and compassion rather than ruling people with fear. He seems to be a strong advocate for this and especially for cruelty over kindness. The main focus of his book is that a monarchy should use the arts of manipulation and deception in order to accumulate and maintain power. He uses a combination of military and compassionate…show more content… His literature teaches how to wage war, more specifically how to outsmart your enemy rather then to outfight it. “ He who knows when he can fight and when he cannot will be victorious” (Sun Tzu 258). He states this argument as an important factor when waging war. He puts allot of importance on how having knowledge of one and the enemy can be key to victory. For Sun Tzu being a more skillful warrior can win a war without even fighting. The Art of War is used both in war and non-warfare related contexts. It has been used to inspire over hundred over different military strategies and has been very influential over many war documents in history. It has been applied in our present corporate world as well and can even be utilized in someone’s every day