Week 3 Tutorial Handout: Myths and Machiavelli Plato’s Myths and Machiavelli’s Prince
Why is necessary to tell noble lies? Provide examples. Do noble lies hold the same sort of dangers and ramifications that we discussed in week 2? Explain the myth of the metals. Is there a truth behind this myth? Explain Machiavelli’s views about generosity and miserliness? Can you think of examples where a political figure has appeared generous while she/he is in fact miserly? Why is it better to be feared than loved? Please explain with examples. Why must a leader be both a lion and a fox (see also 15b)? Provide examples.
Grant – Hypocrisy, Dependency and Realpolitik
Why do princes have to learn how ‘not to be good’ or why is hypocrisy and deception necessary? Why is fraud particularly useful for weaker princes (16b)? How does dependence breed hypocrisy and manipulation? Are there any limits to the deceptions of a Prince (17b)? How can the necessity of hypocrisy be challenged (20b-)? How does Machiavelli’s view of politics differ to that of Adam Smith and Realpolitik realists? What is his critique of honest politics? Why does Grant suggest that this raises a paradox of democracy?