My President was Black

My President was Black

Machiavelli defines humanism as the linguistic and literary movement with the attempt to revive the classical Greek. Additionally, Humanism, according to Machiavelli, encompasses a wide range of sensibilities and values that have originated from the language. Machiavelli is one of the humanists who lived during his era depicted by the writing he made. Notably, one of those works down by Machiavelli during his age is the book “The Prince,” which explores the history to provide future princes and rulers with handbook. To approach humanism, the author draws guidelines from his experience with self-ambitious monarchies and politicians. The paper will establish the way Machiavelli, in his book “The Prince,” uses the approach of humanism.

The writing of “The Prince” is one of the article that goes through the approach of humanism as Machiavelli write to remind the princes about the history of Italian human glory. Indeed, the book makes a way to guide the princes in the traditions of Italians that should be adhered to gain the fame of the nation. The author, throughout the book, applies illustrations from history of Italians to show the importance of embracing the past.   In efforts to protect humanist in the future, “The Prince” serves as a guide to rulers to come in the future outlining their responsibilities and roles.

Additionally, the book argues that for an individual to be a good ruler and rule many years, “he must learn how not to be DOD.” The learning of the DOD protects a leader from been overthrown by his competitor. Contrary to what many perceive as humanists, “been good to everyone.”  Machiavelli shows that a leader must be prepared not always to make himself what people call good guys. Therefore, the leader should reduce what some view as goodness to minimize the chances of corrupt individuals from overthrowing them from power. The author states that “because anyone who determines to act in all circumstances the part of a good man… ruin among so many who are not good.”

Moreover, the author goes ahead to further the humanism approach to the ways people should view the prince. Machiavelli discusses the qualities that people should look when it comes to choosing the individual to take power. According to the author, a leader should be generous and liberal. The approach of humanism that calls for a leader to be liberal should be measured to ensure that people do not disrespect the person in power. Machiavelli establishes that progressive leadership brings a ruler down that frugalness is crucial. According to Machiavelli, a man of power is respectable despite the low levels of liberality. He establishes that a rule is acceptable as long as “he abstains from the property of his citizens and subjects.” Contrary to what many advocates, the author exploits the approach of humanism, stating that a leader gains more respect by spending and living through use money belonging to others. Supporting the point, Machiavelli gives an illustration of Cyrus, Alexander, and Caesar, who lived through plundering, looting, and ransom. The author expresses the three leaders a human who did not hurt themselves by consuming what they owned. The use of “money of others” is contrary to the approach of humanism as leaders should act as custodians of public resources. “Nothing eats itself up as fast as does liberality” is a phrase that the author used to strengthen his approach to humanity. Machiavelli states that if liberality is introduced to a country, poverty is increased, resulting in the ruler raising the taxes, which results in hatred from the people he rules.

“The Prince” also continues the humanism approach based on the importance been loved and feared.  Besides, Machiavelli combines the significance of being feared and loved and the thought of being cruel. The idea of being cruel is being neutralized by the feeling of compassionate by the readers. The author used two leaders, Dido, and Barrio, who led Romans at different periods. According to Machiavelli, Barrio was an example of a cruel leader, and during his, era Roman experienced unity and prosperity. Not only did his cruelty result in success, but it also lead to fear among the citizens. Even though Barrio succeeded due to his cruelty, the Senate was very compassionate, thus resulting in loss of the clout.

“The Prince,” also, explains the challenges that new princes are to face during their first days in office. The author advances the approach of humanism, stating that the leader will have to come up with a hard decision. The hard choice, according to the author, may or may not damage the reputation of the leader over people he is ruling. To illustrate the challenges new princes face and the decisions they have to make, Machiavelli uses Virgin’s Dido. The book states that Dido said, “hard circumstances and the newness of my realm force me to do such things.” For Dido to control the country, he established the approach of humanism, and that goes against what many call justice. Machiavelli goes ahead to discourage the fact that people should fear their leaders. He states that the leader should “be slow in believing and acting, and should make no one afraid of  him…” He continues to say that “too much confidence does not make him incautious, and too much suspicion does not make him unbearable.” The act of installing confidence among the citizen and reducing the fear among people increases the ability of a leader to rule people. Besides, a leader should not turn away the citizen who gave him power.

Humanism effects

According to Machiavelli, the man in power should not apply their beliefs in ruling a nation. The author stated that different people possess different ideas, and the combination of those beliefs may have negative impacts on the well-being of a country. The beliefs depicted by one person are humanist as they hold a lot of significance. Besides, the author believes that a government should not base its entire function and running activities on a set of views grounded in religion. During the Renaissance, the humanism approach of Machiavelli change the philosophy of politics to higher levels. The humanism approach also affects the art, according to the author. For instance, the art in the middle age had a distinct difference from the one in the Renaissance era. Machiavelli’s approach to humanism is that theocratic and democratic cannot be intertwined. The view that the two cannot mix led to the division of politics and Christianity.

Additionally, humanism lies in the line of what people do and the perception that they have toward giving attention to God. The book emphases that people have reduced their attention to what may be called Godly and resolved to do things that make them happy.

Humanism gives the significance of knowledge as well as the ability of a person and civil responsibility. The author has used the approach that was important in the renaissance style. According to Machiavelli, during the era of renaissance, human beings began to reason and think.

According to Machiavelli, the approach of humanism also change the influence of the Renaissance in religion. Many people felt acceptance sense in the new society based life as opposed to the traditional religious life that was characterized by extreme law. The author views the period as the time for religious rebirth. Renaissance was all about changes and, more specifically, in language use. In the case of religion, the shift from the traditional form where the priest would lead for people. Machiavelli advocates for individualism in reading the bible and making transformed decision. The approach of humanism indicates that everyone possesses the brain, which is a tool for decision making and reasoning. Also, the plan suggests that if people were to rely on the priests for bible interpretation, there would be bias. Furthermore, Machiavelli states that if people were to go through the bible page by page, personal beliefs would be enhanced.

Humanism is the human life that is centered on given interests. Also, the humanism approach was a transformation from Renaissance society to the Middle age type. During the Renaissance, political philosophy, religious changes, and art was influenced by humanism. Niccolo Machiavelli, during the Renaissance, was the principal agent of change who steered reforms due to humanism. Cities in Italy also engaged in many conflicts that were as a result of the changes. The introduction of changes associated with what many believed as the way of life led Machiavelli writing a book by the name “The Prince.”

Humanism art

The humanism approach was a significant part of redefining the art during the transformation from Renaissance to Middle age. During the Renaissance, humanism was critical in ensuring the artist got adequate color, realism, and perspective in society.  Aspects such as Greece-Roman and individualism influenced humanism. An art such as Michelangelo Sistine Chapel represents some of the humanist ideas that were used by Renaissance. Individualism in art was an amazing one in Italy. As opposed to the traditional approach, the humanism period encouraged each person to come up with near arts would push the craftwork in the country to high levels. Art was also used to depict the presence of God through painting in which the statue of Pope Julius II was made. The Roman and Greece theme is another prevalence that Machiavelli uses to present individualism and hence, humanism.

Another art that the author approached as humanism is the ancient Greece-Roman theme painted and modeled to a biblical hero. The statue brought the idea of biblical heroism showing the supremacy of embodiment athletic. Similarly, the painting on Repeal’s School of Athens conveys classical Roman and Greece ideals. The Repeal’s School of Athens statue portrayed in the building, which appears as the incorporation of columns, is another art of the time. Also, their paint has two figures; one is Roman goddess Minerva, and the second one is Greek god Apollo. The two statues represent the goddess of wisdom and god of light or cheery, respectively. Both Raphael and Michelangelo applied the laws of humanism in the great Renaissance.

Another influential art during the Renaissance was the classical style. The classical style involves the architecture and art depicted by Greece. The art was abundant in the late sixth century and involved individualism, which is part of humanism. The culture was governed by politics and philosophies that made it easier for the art to influence western culture. The classical style was more prevalent during the Renaissance, according to Machiavelli. The rebirth of the art “Classical Style” that resulted in an increased spread of the culture occurred around 1300 C.E.

Moreover, the age of Classical Style is characterized by realism, proportion, and harmony, thus humanism. For instance, the marble statue of  “Hermes with young Dionysus” made in 340 B.C by Parallaxes is one of the art that depicts individualism in the Classical Style.  Hermes in the statue appears to be leaning a to a tree with his arms wrapped. On the other side, young Dionysus is connected with Hermes in a balanced composition. According to Machiavelli, the statue is an excellent idea fulfilling Aristotle’s view. Additionally, Classical Style in art is an expression of dominance by the human race.

The book “The Prince” is work done by Machiavelli. The book analyzes the power of the different rulers tracking the political history back in the sixteenth century.  Also, the book works on the morality and religion of the Italians, expressing the transformation undergone by the two. Politics, especially one touching on the way the princes conducted themselves, is also established through the book. Machiavelli also establishes the modernization of different arts that affect on humanism.

Conclusion

Humanism results in changes in many aspects of life. The political changes call for individualism to take the country form one point to another. Similarly, most of the religious freedom most of the country enjoys today are as a result of changed view based on what one should believe. Lastly, a leader should be the custodian of the nation’s properties while the liberty minimized among citizens.

Reference

Niccolo Machiavelli (2005). The Prince.