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The Perfect Government

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10 September 2013

The Perfect Government

Throughout history many leaders, both good and bad, have come and gone. Many leaders had their own opinions on what would make their government great, but sadly leaders soon find that what had originally sounded like a good idea, can quickly lead to the downfall of their land. Machiavelli and Lao Tzu both had strong opinions about how a leader should run a government. However, their ideas on what makes the ideal leader are wildly different. Machiavelli believed that a prince should be strict even if, at times, it appears cruel. Lao Tzu, on the other hand, didn’t feel that a ruler needed to be controlling, but rather just let people live their lives. In The Prince, Machiavelli insisted that a good prince should be mean, or selfish. “We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed.” (Machiavelli 186) By doing so, the prince will maintain power and, in time, improve the kingdom. He also believed a prince should be careful of wasting money because “nothing wastes so rapidly as liberality.” (Machiavelli 187) When a prince tries to be liberal he ends up losing everything and when it comes time for a large expenditure, the prince has to become greedy and heavily tax his people. A prince who takes care in saving money is able to pay for those large expenditures without burdening his people. Machiavelli also felt that a prince needed to rule his people with fear because he believed you’re far more likely to obey someone you fear, than someone you love. “…Fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.” (Machiavelli 188) Lao Tzu was, all but, the complete opposite of Machiavelli. Unlike Machiavelli, Lao Tzu thought it was better for a leader to be loved than feared. Also directly contrasting Machiavelli, Lao Tzu believed a leader didn’t need to be controlling over his people, but rather he understands that things happen and that he should leave it alone to run its course. Most of all, though, Lao Tzu believed that “He who is great ought to be lowly” and “If he desires to put the people first, he must put himself after them.” (Lao Tzu 165) (Lao Tzu 166) He believed that to be a leader, he needs to know how to be one of the people and if he truly wants the best for them, he needs to put their needs before his own. The biggest difference between Machiavelli and Lao Tzu is just one factor: compassion. Lao Tzu, honestly, felt that a leader must be compassionate towards his people and in doing so, he can teach them to be the same to each other. Although, these two men are extremely different in their views, they do share a common goal. They both had a passion for trying to create the perfect government. While they both had great points, there was no middle ground which makes it hard to believe either could truly succeed. Machiavelli’s ideas for control over finances are great ideas, but if a prince doesn’t love his people and is too cruel, his people could grow to hate him. In Lao Tzu’s ideal government, the ruler would be kind to his people and they would love him, but if a ruler doesn’t enforce some kind of rules, it could be chaotic. An argument could be made in Lao Tzu’s case that the people would respect him because he cared for them, but it all comes down to the people being ruled. Some people might respect Machiavelli’s strong hand, but their will likely be a group of people who will rebel and there are some people who would respect Lao Tzu’s style, but there easily could be someone who would take advantage of it. Combining Machiavelli’s and Lao Tzu’s ideal rulers into one man is what would truly make a great ruler.

Work Cited Machiavelli, Niccoló. "The Prince." Reading the World: Ideas that Matter. 2nd Ed. Marilyn Moller. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Pages 184-191. Print. Tzu, Lao. “Tao Te Ching.” Reading the World: Ideas that Matter. 2nd Ed. Marilyn Moller. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2007. Pages 158-168. Print. Hacker, Diana, Nancy I. Sommers, Thomas Robert. Jehn, Jane Rosenzweig, and Van Horn, Marcy. Carbajal. A Writer's Reference. Sixth Edition Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Print.

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