Essay on Machiavellis The Prince Essay Example for Free

Essay on Machiavellis The Prince Essay Since the beginning of civilization man has continually been faced with the complexity of creating a peaceful and unified existence for all, without resistance or violence. People have been trying to develop a system of how to rule effectively while acting ethically and morally to avoid chaos and destruction. However, as history has shown us this has not been an easy endeavor and very few rulers have been able to accomplish this. This leads us to a question that is in dispute: Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa? (Machiavelli, 51) An effective ruler would be one that relies upon fear without hatred, rather than love, as described by Niccolo Machiavelli in his book The Prince. In a perfect world all people would be good-hearted, all would treat each other equally, and all would follow and respect the rules of society. Machiavelli points out that people tend to focus how the world should be rather than how it is. Let us leave to one side, then, all discussion of imaginary rulers and talk about practical realities. (Machiavelli, 48) It is easier to complain about problems and society than it is to become a leader and produce positive change. All individuals have different perceptions of what it takes to keep order in a world where not all is good and not everyone gets along. It is easy for one to discuss ideals of how things ought to be, and to use reality to form a dream of something different that we believe would be better than the current state of affairs. Dreams though can not be actualized without action, and all the discussion in the world will accomplish nothing if everyone sits idly by. We all want peace, and in order to have peace there must be structure and in order to have structure you must have an effective leader that you trust to design the framework of how things will work. Ideally all would want a leader that is trustworthy, just, intelligent, compassionate, giving, and loyal to the people while at the same time having the ability to protect society from harm. Now I know everyone will agree that if a ruler could have all the good qualities I have listed and none of the bad ones, then this would be an excellent state of affairs. But one can not have all the good qualities, nor always act in a praiseworthy fashion, for we do not live in an ideal world. (Machiavelli, 48) Unfortunately in reality we can not have a leader that stands on a platform of extreme love or extreme hatred, if we expect to  remain safe and unharmed from the rest of the world. You need someone that is tough, and has the ability to enforce and maintain order upon people who are not always good and reliable, people who are selfish and have their own interests above all else. In reality people do not act responsibly out of love and consideration for others, but of fear what will happen if they do not act accordingly. It is important to keep in mind that to be feared is different than being hated. But fear restrains men because they are afraid of punishment, and this fear never leaves them. Still, a ruler should make himself feared in such a way that, if he does not inspire love, at least he does not provoke hatred. For it is perfectly possible to be feared and not hated. (Machiavelli, 52) If there were no consequences for bad behavior, people would have no reason to act any differently. It is not that punishment in itself creates hatred, but it is how the people are punished that will determine the fear or the hatred they have for their ruler. For example if one is caught stealing and then punished by having to serve some time in jail, that would cause them to fear you and to abide by the law. On the other hand if the punishment were death it would cause the people to hate the ruler for being so un-just and immoral. When a ruler becomes hated they lose all respect and control over the people, for they will reach a point that they can no longer endure the cruelty and rise against you. Indeed, one of the most effective defenses a ruler has against conspiracies is to make sure he is not generally hated. For conspirators always believe the assassination of the ruler will be approved by the people. (Machiavelli, 57) When people feel as they have been oppressed and abused for to long they will revolt and not think twice about getting rid of the ruler they are discontented with. For once the people have become determined to over throw their ruler, they have already lost all faith and feel there is nothing else to lose whether they are successful or not. It is not enough for a Ruler to be strictly feared, but to also appear to have some compassion and respect for the people that he oversees. It is imperative that an effective ruler is one that can balance fear, goodness, authority, respect, and compassion if he wishes to maintain harmonious  control. So it is necessary for a ruler, if he wants to hold on to power, to learn how not to be good, and to know when it is and when it is not necessary to use this knowledge. (Machiavelli, 48) The point Machiavelli makes here is that it is not enough to be completely good or completely evil, but to know when to do bad things in order to create good. Power is ultimately based on violence, and sometimes in order to preserve sovereignty and authoritative command, a ruler must engage in what society deems as immoral acts such as lying, betrayal, and even murder. So the conclusion is: If you take control of a state, you should make a list of all the crimes you have to commit and do them all at once. That way you will not have to commit new atrocities every day, and you will be able, by not repeating your evil deeds, to reassure your subjects and to win their support by treating them well. He, who acts otherwise, either out of squeamishness or out of bad judgment, has to hold a bloody knife in his hand all the time. A hated, thus unsuccessful ruler would be one that would not know his limits, and continue to use violence to obtain desired results. A wise ruler would be one who could look ahead and see when it is necessary to do harm so that he can know exactly what needs to be done, how to do it, and when to do it. Most importantly the ruler must have the ability to stop once what he has set out to do is accomplished. Violence and evil doing must be used sparingly to prevent the populous from hating you. A powerful leader needs the ability to equally rely upon intelligence and brute force, he must be able to discern when to use the different characteristics and be able to step into the role of either the lion or the fox at any moment. Since a ruler, then, needs to know how to make good use of beastly qualities, he should take as his models among the animals both the fox and the lion, for the lion does not know how to avoid traps, and the fox is easily overpowered by wolves. So you must be a fox when it comes to suspecting a trap and a lion when it comes to making the wolves turn tail. (Machiavelli, 54) Machiavelli is referring to the symbolism of the lion over the monarch power in England. The lion represented courage, strength, and  leadership; it was seen as being the dominant animal that could wipe out smaller animals. A fox on the other hand is timid, reserved, and clever; it thinks before it acts. There are only two ways to obtain power, either lawfully or un-lawfully. To do it lawfully is to be considered human and to do it un-lawfully by inciting violence is to be considered animalistic, so when stepping outside the law a ruler must choose whether to be lion and exercise brute force or to be the fox and exercise the mind. Nevertheless, you should be careful how you assess the situation and should think twice before you act. Do not be afraid of your own shadow. Employ policies that are moderated by prudence and sympathy. Avoid excessive self-confidence, which leads to carelessness, and avoid excessive timidity, which will make you insupportable. Machiavelli is reinforcing the significance of a ruler to have the ability to know when to act like a man and when to act like an animal. A feared but not hated ruler is one that does not act upon impulse but carefully calculates his moves in order to do what is necessary for the people, even if it means acting outside of the law. This essay began with the notion that if one wishes to be a successful ruler he or she must induce fear among the people to gain their respect as opposed to loving and being loved. How a ruler treats the people and how the people treat the ruler is the determining factor of how successful society will be. We have to look at the relationship between the people and the ruler as we would the relationship between a child and a parent. To be an effective parent you can not inflict harm upon your child, but you can inflict fear by imposing consequences to their negative behavior. If a child does something wrong we do not physically abuse him or her, but make them sit in time out or perhaps take away a privilege like playing video games. The child may be upset with you for a short time, but will not hate you and will respect your authority enough to abide by the rules in the future. On the other hand though, if you play the role of the best friend and consequences for negative behavior are non-existent then the child will go about doing what they please without regard for anyone else. Once the child realizes that he  or she will not be punished they have the ability to over power the parent. Religion also uses fear in order to enhance positive behavior and love among the people. No matter which religion one chooses to believe, he or she does not always willingly act with morals and ethics because in their heart they believe its right, but do so because they fear what will happen to their soul if they dont. People fear negative consequences whether it is timeout, prison, or even hell and will most always act how they are told in order to avoid such punishments. Ruling with fear to create stability and harmony can be used in many everyday situations whether running the country, the household, the office, or the church. Bibliography Wootton, David, ed. The Prince. Indiana: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 1995.

Firewalls Keeping the vandals from your computers :: Essays Papers

Firewalls Keeping the vandals from your computers A research paper written by Janice E Chapman for the Cyberculture: Internet Literacy class offered at St Edwards University by Professor Danney Ursery. August 1, 2001. Welcome to the 21st century, constant Internet access, and hackers. The good news is that every time someone does something destructive with Internet technology, someone else does something to counter that destruction. Hence the reason firewalls were created. So, what is a firewall? In short, it is software that prevents someone from accessing your computer, either over a network or the Internet. This software can be configured to only allow e-mail in, to restrict access of known intruders, or to restrict all outside traffic. An important side note is that firewalls are not designed to screen e-mails or files for viruses and restrict just those e-mails or viruses. You would still need a virus control procedure for that. The reason you should protect your computer from outside snoops is the same reason you lock your car or your house. You want to protect your property, and strangers don?t really know if you have any thing valuable to steal until they gain access and look around. In addition, the Internet has a reputation for attracting malicious hackers. These are people who seek entertainment by vandalizing other people?s computers. They may not seek you out specifically, they just happened to have a program that randomly ?pings? Internet protocol (IP) addresses until it finds an unlocked door. DSL, ISDN, or T1 lines connect your computer to the Internet and keep that connection constantly active and the door unlocked. Now that you understand and see the need to protect your computer, the next step is to find firewall software that satisfies your needs. This means only you can decide what is right for you. The Home PC Firewall Guide at http://www.firewallguide.com/ offers third party reviews for small office and home users. For those users seeking a more technical approach to understanding, analyzing, designing, and/or testing firewall security the SANS Institute Information Security Reading Room at http://www.sans.org/infosecFAQ/firewall/norton.htm provides excellent articles written by GIAC-certified professionals. As a home user, I found Mark Greco?s article on Protecting Yourself with Norton Personal Firewall very informative. This article goes a step farther and steps you through the installation and configuration of Norton Personal Firewall. Still not convinced to buy or download free firewall software? Think about this.

Elementary School-based HIV prevention education Essay

HIV-prevention is important if the global efforts to eradicate AIDS epidemic will be realistic. A school based programme is also essential as most school age children are adolescents and new HIV infection (incidence) is common among adolescents of school age and providing such with prevention education empowers them towards personal protection. Furthermore, it is important as school students are more eager to learn new information and the school is a veritable avenue to reach large population of young people (Wilson, 2010). There are two major packages involved in HIV prevention education in schools namely the abstinence and comprehensive packages. The abstinence package is limited in that it only emphasises benefits of delaying sex till marriage without emphasis on how to protect students if he or she chooses to have sex. The comprehensive approach promotes delayed sex initiation while it also educates on significance of condom use. There are various ways a teacher can add HIV education to health classroom curriculum. Consideration in adding HIV education to health classroom curriculum Adding an HIV prevention school curriculum demands a consideration of existing local guidelines and legislation that directs the type and scope of HIV prevention or sex education that can be given in that locality. The cultural consideration is also important as there are usually cultural differences regarding issues that can be compulsorily part of HIV prevention education, for instance, human sexuality. A sound awareness of prevailing cultural and religious beliefs allows HIV prevention education to sensitively, yet efficiently handle issues in such a manner that does not contradict or conflict the existing values of young school age learners. There is also need to consider state of students as some students in endemic areas are already infected with HIV and this will influence the approach adopted. Family life and sexuality of students is another issue. HIV prevention education should address individuals of all sexualities. Starting point The starting point is talking to the students and allowing them to ask questions. It is important to ask them what they expect from the programme and assess their present knowledge so as to know where to concentrate and where their present knowledge is limited. (Wilson, 2010). Cross curricular approach This ensures that it is not only the scientific basis of HIV transmission that is integrated into the curriculum but also the social aspect of HIV/AIDS . The curriculum should involve real life situation including AIDS awareness and not just biological and medical facts about HIV virus. Take for instance the biological knowledge of the disease will not assist the student to negotiate condom use and hence the need to discuss vital issues likes sexuality and drug use as well as relationships in the curriculum (Danny etal, 2009). Active learning approach This implies students are allowed to participate, involve and use the given information as well as apply them. Providing information about HIV prevention alone is not effective. Active participation can be via role play and group work . This allows for skill building such as how to say ‘No’ to Sex. Here, the teacher may explain how HIV is transmitted, the various signs and symptoms and how HIV is not transmitted. A medical specialist may also be invited to give health talk on the subject matter. The teacher may demonstrate these by showing pictures of those already infected, the various means of transmission and non-transmission. Films and posters of those infected can also be shown in class. Teachers also gives examples of high risk behaviour using charts and students are later asked to give examples (Danny etal, 2009). Active learning is a useful means of imparting young people and inculcating in them HIV prevention and social skills. Take for instance the teacher gives behavioural cards to students having divided them into groups of 5s and ask students to assign the behavioural cards to the corresponding risk sign and discuss just like the teacher had earlier explained . Active learning makes HIV prevention education to be fun and enjoyable. On a discussion of abstinence for instance, after the teacher might have defined the concept and the associated myths and facts, students then discuss why young people may want to have sex (Wilson, 2010) The use of quizzes, drama and AIDS games This allows for assessment of what students have learned and gives them opportunity to put into practice, the information given to them. In HIV prevention game, colored pebbles are given to students with more colours given to a student than the other and the students are subsequently asked to trade the colored pebbles with one another. At the end of the game, those with more of red pebbles are regarded as HIV infected and those with more of blue have used condom while those with more of yellow are regarded to have abstained. This whole exercise makes the process a fun and enjoyable. References Wilson, S. N (2010). Sexuality Education: Our Current Status, and an Agenda for 2010 Family Planning Perspectives Volume 32, Number 5, September/October 2000 Retrieved on August 20, 2010 from http://alanguttmacherinstitute. com/pubs/journals/3225200. html Danny etal (2009). AIDS/HIV Education for Preservice Elementary Teachers Journal of School Health Volume 60, Issue 6, pages 262–265, August 1990 Retrieved on August 20, 2010 from http://onlinelibrary. wiley. com/doi/10. 1111/j. 1746-1561. 1990. tb05930. x/abstract

Essay on Human Development Shaped by Biology and Experience

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SHAPED BY BIOLOGY AND EXPERIENCE The first core concept suggested by From Neurons to Neighborhoods depicts human development forming from the interplay of an individual’s biology and experience. Early scientists in this particular field created testable hypotheses to understand the dynamic interaction between the nature-nurture phenomenon. For example, some scientists such as Arnold Gesell considered emerging skills to be the product of an individual’s genetic make-up, while others, such as John B. Watson, speculated human behavior was determined by the surrounding environment (Shonkoff Philips, 2001, 23). Moreover, Nobel Prize winner Ivan Pavlov’s and North American scientist B.F. Skinner’s research in behaviorism†¦show more content†¦A person naturally desires to have necessary biological needs filled. Pavlov’s experiment also demonstrates how nature will interact with nurture through his discovery canines salivate not just at the smell of food, but also at the sound of footsteps bringing the food. The canines were able to connect the smell and audio stimuli together to learn when one comes, such as the footprints, a reward will follow, such as the food. In human development, an individual will link stimuli together in order to adapt to his or her living environment. Some examples of individuals being shaped through experiences include the white coat syndrome and learning to speak. In the first example, a patient associates the sensation of fear with a doctor or nurse; therefore, his or her blood pressure rises when he or she sees the appearance of a white coat (Berger, 40). In the second example, a babbling toddler learns to associate the non-sensible sounds â€Å"ma-ma† or â€Å"ba-ba† with his or her mother or bottle as they each make their welcomed appearances (Berger, 172). Therefore, a person’s survival depends on whether or not he or she has associated fear with potent ially harmful stimuli, or acceptance for desirable stimuli. Lastly, B.F. Skinner introduced a new form of learning process called operate conditioning. Operate conditioning, like classical conditioning, involves individuals creating associations with various stimuli. However, unlike classicalShow MoreRelatedHuman Development Is Shaped By A Dynamic And Continuous Interaction Between Biology And Experience1170 Words   |  5 PagesCore Concept 1 â€Å"Human development is shaped by a dynamic and continuous interaction between biology and experience† (Shonkoff Phillips, 2000, p. 22). †¢ Children and their environments are continually influenced by each other (Shonkoff Phillips, 2000, p. 22). †¢ No environment is the same for any child. 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