A Goodreads user asked this question about The Prince:
Niccolo Machiavelli seems confused (and hence, confusing to me). Of course, he has written a lot of evil in the book, and then he writes something as quoted below. What's the account/motivation behind him writing the following? "It cannot be called ingenuity to kill one's fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means, one can acquire power but not glory."
Sinta Machiavelli makes a distinction between personal and public morality. He sees the role of the Prince to be necessarily amoral, as the Prince must purs…moreMachiavelli makes a distinction between personal and public morality. He sees the role of the Prince to be necessarily amoral, as the Prince must pursue any means to preserve the state. However, this does not mean you must be personally amoral or immoral. It is possible to have a good personal moral framework and an amoral public moral framework. (less)
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