...Cesare Lombroso: “Father of Criminology” Biagina Wickham Le Moyne College CJS 221 Abstract Cesare Lombroso (1835-1909) was known as “the father of criminology.” He was an Italian that was convinced that serious and violent offenders had inherited criminal traits. He created a strict biological determinism and this allowed for a jumping off point for other criminologists. Cesare Lombroso is known as the “father of criminology”. He branched his research off of positivism and the studies of J.K. Lavater, Franz Joseph Gall, Johann K. Spurzheim, and the classical criminology work of Cesare Beccaria. Classical criminology brought forth a closer look at criminals and their behavior and Beccaria was the “first [to call] public attention to those wretched beings.(CRIMINALMAN)” Lombroso viewed the Classical School of Criminology as being based “on the assumption that [most] criminals are endowed with intelligence and feelings like normal individuals, and that they commit...
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...Often refered to as the father of `Modern Criminology`, Cesare Lombroso was born 18 November 1835 in Verona. He was the son of Aronne Lombroso, a wealthy Jewish Tradesman, and Zeffora Levi. He studied literature, linguistics, and archaeology at the universities of Pedua, Vienna, and Paris. He died in Turin in 19 October 1909. At a young age he was interested to help the poor and sick: as a freshly graduated doctor, he was traveling in the Lombardy region, printing pamphlets on his own expence and handing them out to the peasants suffering pellagra. In 1872, he suggested that the disease is caused by the farmers poisoned corn - only decades later was proven that the pellagra is cased by the one-sided food intake, especially for corn diets. Is due to lack of nicotinic acid intake and brewer's yeast consumption can prevent the illness....
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...Machiavelli’s The Prince and God’s Word both give advice on how to rule. Two main similarities between the two manuscripts are that a leader must be kind and that he should not abuse his power. In Machiavelli’s time, Italy was not a united country but was divided into multiple city-states. Attempting to help Italian rulers, he wrote his magnum opus The Prince. Machiavelli wrote that a leader needed to have a balance between clemency, or kindness, and cruelty. He knew that a ruler needed to be kind to earn the respect and love of his people, but not kind to the extent of becoming weak. He also knew that cruelty brought a respectful fear and obedience. Machiavelli’s ideal ruler should strive to be merciful and kind, Machiavelli taught...
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...During the Fourteenth Century, times had begun to change in terms of the way of thinking as it pertains to governing a state. An Italian author, Niccolò Machiavelli introduced his way of thinking by writing The Prince, which is often interpreted as a way to rule, or not to rule. He uses humanism to back up his views on how governing should be handled. Of course, the book was rejected by the Catholic Church, which believed in divine authority. In The Prince, Machiavelli expresses that people are actually responsible for their own actions rather than supernatural forces. This form of humanism was the beginning of the breaking away from the dogma of the Catholic Church. According to (Hunt, Martin and Rosenwein 459), Humanism originated during The Renaissance in Italy amongst highly educated individuals attached to the personal households of prominent rulers. It is defined as “a system of values and beliefs that are based on the idea that people are basically good and that problems can be solved using reason instead of religion.” (Merriam-Webster) As defined by the text, Christian humanism is the general intellectual trend in the sixteenth century that coupled love of classical learning, as in Renaissance humanism, with an emphasis on Christian piety. Humanist concentrated more on religion and the teachings of Christian devoutness, especially through the schools of the Brethren of Common Life, which preached self-discipline. (Hunt, Martin and Rosenwein 459) Niccolò Machiavelli wrote...
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...Although Machiavelli’s writing, The Prince, may be directly aimed at describing the things a prince needs to do, it is also in a way describing the way that all humans should conduct themselves. The book may be influencing the princes, or it may be shaping the morals of those looking to gain power. If the normal men who are looking to gain power follow some of the guidelines that are laid out inside The Prince, they will have a better chance than those who continue to live life just as they have. Machiavelli paints a picture of a man, specifically a prince that is willing to do what is necessary to help the cause, even if it does not make them the most popular choice. In human nature, the question is often asked if one should have good character and morals and possibly not succeed, or to have bad character and morals and get ahead. Machiavelli describes this relationship in chapter fifteen where he states “how one ought to live is so far removed from how one lives” (p. 57). Machiavelli knows that men are supposed to have good qualities and therefore good character, but often people are removed from how they are “ought to live” in order to be successful. The chapter lists qualities including being “considered a giver, [being] rapacious, [being] cruel…someone humane, the other haughty” (p. 58) The book does not comment on which character traits a man is supposed to have, but Machiavelli does state that “because of the human conditions which do not permit, it is necessary for [the...
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...Compare/Contrast Essay When utilizing the rhetorical strategy of comparing and contrasting in relationship to literature, a number of pieces of can qualify. In particular, the idea of leadership is arguably one of the most written about topics with regard to comparing and contrasting. Throughout history, it can be argued that the majority of successful societies have been based upon effective divisions of leadership. Accordingly, in their pieces of literature, The Tao-te Ching and The Qualities of the Prince, Lao-tzu and Machiavelli have sought to convey a more complete and concrete understanding of their respective definitions and duties of a ruler (leadership). The theme of political leaders and their intricate relationship with society indeed validate itself within both texts. However, both Lao-tzu and Machiavelli approach this issue from almost entirely opposite positions, though sharing minute similarities. Lao-tzu appears to focus the majority of his attention on letting problems or situations take their course, and consequently good would prevail. On the contrary, Machiavelli advocates the necessity for a successful leader, or prince, to take control of his deeds, and the skills or qualities necessary to maintain power. Since both writers propose a question as to what is in essence the same dilemma, effective leadership, it becomes almost natural literary etiquette to contrast the two in an effort to better understand what qualities a prosperous leader must possess. Despite...
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...Running head: THE PRINCE The Prince Book Synopsis ########## University of ##### Dr. ##### #### 16, 20## The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli reveals an interesting perspective of leadership and ethics relating to how a prince should obtain land, control it and maintain it by any means necessary. In this book, Machiavelli provides a clear definition of the different types of states or principalities, recommendation on how to govern these principalities and how to expand a prince’s domain. Furthermore, he explains ways to evaluate the strong points and vulnerabilities of other principalities and concludes with the qualities or characteristics a prince should possess to maintain his status. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of this book is the suggestion Machiavelli gives about the characteristics a prince should develop in order to be successful, particularly the idea of responsibility, kindness or compassion, and the concept of trust or faith. This paper will focus on these key characteristics or qualities Machiavelli suggests a prince should possess and compare them with leadership based on character. Character based leadership suggests there is a direct correlation between character, ethics and how leadership is developed. It is based upon seven “classical virtues”, courage, faith, justice, prudence, temperance, love and hope. Each of these virtues describes a certain aspect of character and, when they become...
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...The Morals of the Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli The first great political philosopher of the Renaissance, Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence, Italy. He was a politician whose fortunes mirrored those of the republic that was founded in the absence of the ruling Medicis and ended upon their return to power in Florence. The Prince, written in 1513 but not published until 1531, is the work that earned Machiavelli his lasting reputation and is a seminal text of political philosophy still widely regarded—and read—today. It is a study of leadership and an argument that leaders must do anything necessary to hold on to power. It is this message that turned Machiavelli's name into an adjective. As you read the following excerpt from The Prince, observe the different qualities of Machiavelli's ideal prince and compare it to those qualities we refer to when we call something or someone "Machiavellian." ON THE REASONS WHY MEN ARE PRAISED OR BLAMED —ESPECIALLY PRINCES It remains now to be seen what style and principles a prince ought to adopt in dealing with his subjects and friends. I know the subject has been treated frequently before, and I'm afraid people will think me rash for trying to do so again, especially since I intend to differ in this discussion from what others have said. But since I intend to write something useful to an understanding reader, it seemed better to go after the real truth of the matter than to repeat what people have imagined. A great many men have...
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... In this paper, I will argue that Machiavelli is correct: a leader needs to be beast-like and must break their word when it suits their purpose. In support I will argue the following; a ruler must assume characteristics of both lion and fox to be an effective ruler, then I will argue he must be amoral with his decisions as a ruler, finally he must become an actor who is unpredictable so that he may break his word effectively. A ruler needs to assume characteristics of both lion and fox to be an effective ruler. According to Machiavelli, the characteristics of a lion demonstrate power and strength. This is politically useful when he is challenged. Unfortunately, being a lion is ineffective because without the ability to strategically plan, you are lost. Hence, Machiavelli also adds that one needs to be cunning and deceitful like a fox. The imperative becomes playing mind games and destroying your enemies from afar. Machiavelli tells us that rulers inevitably find themselves in a pyramid. At the top is the ruler, below him arethe wolves and the sheep at the bottom. These wolves are the aristocrats, they resent the ruler. Thus, wolves are always scheming to steal his power from him. As a result a ruler must be as deceitful, cunning, and powerful when the situation demands it. In doing he ensures his power . In Morality And Politics (Page 9) “Since men (the people governed) are bad and would not observe their faith with the prince, he is not obliged or expected...
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...plays in general distraction, and in quelling any potential “innovating” (Machiavelli 88) on the part of adversaries. For instance, Machiavelli notes that “[Ferdinand’s] actions have followed upon one another in such a mode that he has never allowed an interval between them for men to be able to work quietly against him” (88). Indeed, time management is a very subtle element of Machiavelli’s gradually developing argument in The Prince, especially when compared to cruelty, war and foreign relations, but we nevertheless see the successful management of time in a leader whose “actions [are] all very great and some of them extraordinary” (Machiavelli 88). If we juxtapose Ferdinand with Cesare Borgia, it is quite clear that they share a similar appreciation of time and the dynamics of exposure. When Cesare Borgia took over Romagna, what he found was a state completely absorbed in chaos and crime, due to the ineptitude of its former leaders. So in order to re-unite the state, he appoints “Messer Remirro de Orco, a cruel and ready man, to whom he gave the fullest power. In a short time Remirro reduced [Romagna] to peace and unity, with the very greatest reputation for himself” (Machiavelli 29). Now, a less-than-competent prince might have stopped there, seeing that his tactic of cruelty towards the people had paid off in terms of his reputation and the orderliness of the state. But because Borgia is sensitive to time, he understands that cruelty to exposure must immediately cease after...
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...Most people think that the world is a Wheel of Fortune and we have no choice other than staying passive to its consequences. Machiavelli employs “fortune” in The Prince in a very distinct way. He suggests that despite the inevitable power of fortune, humans can resist it. He proposes two analogies for understanding the human situation in the face of events. Fortune is analogized as a ruinous river or a woman who likes young and aggressive men. Throughout my paper, I will argue how Machiavelli’s depiction of Lucrezia in The Mandrake Root is an allegorical equivalent to the discussion of fortune as a woman in chapter 25 of The Prince. The first parable between discussion of fortune as a woman and the depiction of Lucrezia arises when Machiavelli states that “Fortune is the arbiter of one half of our actions, but that she still leaves the control of the other half, or almost that, to us.” Machiavelli recognizes that fortune has an impact; thus, it affects us, but does not entirely control us. We see the same notion in The Mandrake Root, considering the arrangement the characters reach at the end of the play; everyone gets what they want, but all characters have to engage in some form of deception to obtain their desires. Supporting the claim from The Prince, every character is able to change some part of their actions, while leaving the other part to the fortune to decide. Callimaco will keep seeing Lucrezia, but his risk of death is in the hands of fortune, and after reaching his...
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...The Prince by Niccollo Machiavelli was written, apparently, to guide those in power at the time the book was written. It serves as a tool to keep any territory in order by addressing many types of establishments and predicaments a “prince,” or a ruler, could get into. It uses the successes and failures of famous and infamous rulers as evidence to correct the actions of some and to commend others. Some of the ideas, such as killing off anyone who conspires against you, clearly are brutal and inhumane. However, around the time Machiavelli wrote it, Europe warred against itself tumultuously. Any “princes” reading this book would have good reason to be violent, simply to defend themselves. The guidelines presented in The Prince may not be applicable today, but they had much more meaning to the fiercely competitive Western Europe at the time, as the book clearly shows with its “recent” examples. Early in the “guidebook for princelings”, the author states that people should either be completely exterminated or treated well. If any mercy is shown by the prince to his enemies, or he fails to completely rid himself of them, either by killing them or ruining them, then for sure they shall retaliate and possibly destroy the prince in the process. Additionally, if the people favored the rival more than said ruler, then the citizens could rebel. The Prince specifically states that the favor of citizens is extremely important, possibly even more so than that of the nobility. Therefore, it...
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...Different between knowledge and opinion according to plato –…According to Plato "Opinion is the medium between knowledge and ignorance." ……It is amazing to me that some people can sense the scale of knowledge so easiliy and to them it is second nature. Yet there are others who may actually be a majority who insist on defending opinions with their last breath while remaining closed to this scale of knowledge………"Opinion is between the knowing of the true idea and the ignorance of the unreal"(Plato -Republic). ………Plato's perspective is beyond the senses, thus the question of 'can sense' is not applicable. Re Plato's Forms, the best one can do is to speculate them as pseudo-rational concepts via pure reason (not via the empirical senses)………In order to make sense and turn what is speculated to knowledge, i.e. as matter of facts, empirical sensual proofs are needed. One good example of this knowledge is a proven scientific hypothesis……….The idea of a soul that survives physical death is one that is speculated and has no empirical basis. According to Kant, they are transcendental illusions based on fallacious thinking, but nevertheless useful in some sense (psychological)…….2. Rousseau examine link between ‘force’ and ‘right’ –…….According to Rousseau, force cannot be the foundation for legitimate political authority. People obey those stronger than themselves out of necessity, not by choice. Thus, the right of the strongest cannot create the sense of a duty that is necessary to establishing...
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...The first word that came into mind when reading The Prince for the first time was: pragmatic. Machiavelli drafted this book as a pragmatic guide to princes, unlike many of his contemporaries who else focused on telling princes to be nice, courteous, and good to the eyes of their people and God. What interested me the most was researching the book online after reading the first few chapters; what came up were multiple articles on how, at the time of its initial publication, the book gained a notoriety as being a guide on cruelty and manipulative intent. The Prince, being such an influential work by Machiavelli it’s considered his defining piece that brought forth the foundations of the label, “Machiavellian,” with it being associated to evil deeds and the immoral use of power as a means of political gain. Yet after all this research, evil was never a word that came to mind when I read the book. Pragmatic, that’s what it plainly is. What The Prince states is outside of morality, outside of being good or bad. Morality is put aside, it’s an ideal that has little effect to Machiavelli’s point. The main point is practicality, what princes must do in specific situations to maintain their power; and this practicality may come off as extreme or devoid of good morals, but when it comes to princedoms a prince’s main goal is to stay a prince, and The Prince provides a realistic, practical, pragmatic guide to do as such. Below are the five lines that I have chosen and how they reflect what...
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...Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 – 1527) was a nobleman with an unstable fortune that ultimately learnt to support himself through his writing career. His most acclaimed work, “The Prince”, is a basic dissertation on the qualities a prince or a leader must have in order to retain his power and authority. Similarly, the “Tao-te Ching” is a philosophical document that is known to be written by Lao-tzu. The document provides a foundation for the religion of Taoism and speaks about good leadership and moral behavior. While Machiavelli believes in practical, dominant and severe methods, Lao-tzu approaches the theme of leadership with detachment, patience and equanimity. Therefore, as both Lao-tzu and Machiavelli seem to have two extremely contrasting philosophies on good leadership, extracting and applying specific qualities, simultaneously, from each could result in forming a comparatively better new-age leader for the state. Machiavelli’s guidelines to maintain a leader’s power lean more towards harsh, strict, cruel and deceitful methods. He believes that “it is much safer to be feared than to be loved” (44) as men, in general, are unappreciative, fearful, cheats, volatile and greedy. It is better for a leader to be feared than loved because the fear of punishment and one’s wrath would push discipline onto the people as well as the fairness of the consequences given would build respect towards the leader regardless of the harsh/painful outcome. On the other hand, Lao-tzu states, “there...
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