Lao-tzu VS. Machiavelli
What is considered to be a good idea about a government and a leader? In the book A World of Ideas, two different government point of views by two celebrated authors is presented. The first author was Lao-tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher from the sixth century B.C.E, who was asked to write down his thought before leaving his job; thus, he wrote “Thoughts from the Tao-te Ching”. It is a philosophical work about good government as well as about moral behavior: the way of life. Another author is Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian political philosopher who was an author of “the Qualities of the Prince”—a well-known work written in Italy in 1513. Machiavelli provided advice about the qualities of a ruler in his writing. In my opinion, although both authors care about leadership and government, their idea towards the government and leadership are very different. …show more content…
To Lao-tzu, his view of government is predicated on Taoism, “a religion officially founded by Chang Tao-ling in about 150 C.E.” which he believes that they should be peace, simplicity, and inaction and should not involve in a war or interfere people’s lives (Lao-tzu 203). Therefore, he suggests that the government should minimally take control. In contrast, Machiavelli believes in a strong government, which is an absolute authority; thus, he believes the government should govern powerfully and take full control over the people. However, Lao-tzu and Machiavelli are in agreement that the well-organized government will give the greatest benefit to the