Machiavelli's “The Qualities of a Prince” and Lao-Tzu's “Thoughts from the Tao-Te Ching”

Introduction

Leadership is an integral component for running the government. Machiavelli in his book “The Qualities of a Prince”, and Lao-Tzu in his book “Thoughts from the Tao-Te Ching” presented the concepts of becoming principled leaders. Both writers presented almost contrasting viewpoints on best traits of leader that should be exhibited in times of war, under mercy conditions, and techniques during peace time. Combination of both writers' practices can provide a significant edge to the person in understanding the fundamental approach to each style of leader presented in the books highlighted above.

This research paper aims at exploring the fundamental approach to leadership as identified in the text by Machiavelli and Lao Tzu. Thesis objective of this paper is to explore the different methods on how to become a great leader between Machiavelli and Lao Tzu based on the factors of war, technique, and mercy.

Comparison of Work

In this paper, we will compare and contrast the similarities and differences between Lao-tzu and Machiavelli. This section presents a comparison of different methods on how to become a great leader between the elements of war, mercy, and techniques.

Lao-tzu is one of the major figures in the philosophy of China, whose corporeal existence still debated. According to Chinese tradition, he lived in the sixth century BC, though many historians place his life in the fourth century BC, the period of the Hundred Schools of Thought and Warring States. It attributed to Lao-tzu writing the Tao Te Ching, the Taoist scripture, and he considered the founder of Taoism. Later coined the term Machiavellian is, therefore, often used as a derogatory description of political behavior that not refined, but without the ethical impacts of morality and ethics, their own power and their own well sees as the target. This behavior was not according to current knowledge Machiavelli's goal. Mainly because of his work Il Principe (" The Prince "), he considered one of the most important political philosophers of modern times. His political and literary work Discourses has come about in the background (Capponi, Niccolo, pp. 37-39).

Evaluation of Machiavelli's Content

Nicola born in the village of San Casciano, near the city-state of Florence, now in Italy, in 1469, and was the second son of Bernardo di Nicolo Machiavelli (1426 - 1500), lawyer and Bartolommei Nelly Di Stefano (1441 - 1496). Machiavelli lived in a troubled era, when the Pope could have an army, and the rich city-states of Italy fell one after another under the authority of foreign states - France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire. It was a time of constant change alliances, mercenaries, crossed over to the enemy without warning when the power, lasted for several weeks, collapsed and replaced by a new one. Perhaps the most significant event in a series of erratic upheaval was the fall of Rome in 1527. Rich cities like Florence and Genoa, suffered about the same as that of Rome 12 centuries ago, when he burned by the army of barbarians-Germans (Capponi, Niccolo, pp. 37-39).

Machiavelli presented a forceful approach ...