If virtue only bolsters the spiritual merit of the leader or assuages his conscience, then the ruler is foolish. The new prince is therefore a self-confident leader who effectively wields power through swift decisiveness. By alluding to the great rulers of ancient Greece and Rome such as Alexander, Machiavelli notes how the new prince can seek to expand his territorial realms and take over existing nations. To do this the

It was not so different for Agathocles, who freed Sicily from Carthage (30). Of a humble beginning as a potter's son, Agathocles rose to be King of Syracuse because he was able to take the reins of power and to defend himself and his sphere of control (30). His win over Carthage demonstrated that Agathocles was a tactician, capable to assessing a defensive and offensive military strategy (30). Agathocles won

Machiavelli Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli emerged as one of the first true secularist philosophers to come out of the Christian West. In succeeding years his name would become infamous; his views, associated with Satan and immorality. However, Machiavelli's most significant contributions to Western thought never overtly favored scheming or devious methods to more morally acceptable ones. But rather, he generally acknowledged that any actions taken in the acquisition and sustention

Machiavelli and the Role of Religion Machiavelli, in his works, has used his political outlook and views about the power given to the Church and Christianity to present both his religious and political views to the readers keeping them in a constant thought process of what he really believes in and why. Throughout the paper we will discuss Machiavelli's political expressions and views in the light of his three writings; "The Prince,"

Mainly, the ideals of modern science and philosophy have allowed the religious humanists to meet the stresses of modern life and they would state that their philosophy is for the here and now. Religious Humanism offers a foundation in philosophy which includes moral values, ideals, coping methods and ways to deal with adversity such as flood, hurricane or famine. How would a person like Machiavelli feel about the modern

Machiavelli, Thomas More, Thomas Hobbes Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes appear to recommend political actions and systems that take people "the way they are." In contrast, Thomas More and Aristotle appear to recommend political actions and systems designed to help people change the way they are. To what extent is this description of their approaches accurate? According to the introduction to his text The Prince, Machiavelli believes that "the way humans act and