The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Essay - 2137 Words.

This is one of the most notable books ever written on the topic of politics and one of the most well known books to come from the Renaissance, but it is not the only book from this time period that focused on politics. Machiavelli also wrote Discourses on Livy.

Discourses on Livy Analysis Machiavelli’s Discourses on the Ten Books of Titus Livy is probably the most important and clearly rendered of his political works. While some may argue that his most famous work, The Prince, holds this distinction, Machiavelli is far more open and complete in his political leanings in his Discourses.

According to Machiavelli as stated in The Discourses on Livy, “for as men are, by nature, more prone to evil than to good”. The Prince is a manual for being a successful ruler in an immoral society. Often times that success is met by committing immoral acts.

The Prince and the Discourses on Livy Essay Example. Pages: 6 (2153 words) Published: December 13, 2011 6 (2153 words) Published: December 13, 2011.

Here are some notes for an intensive discussion of Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy. By systematically working through multiple sections of this particular work, the goal is to appreciate the breadth and diversity of Machiavelli's political.

However, Machiavelli’s more important treatise was his historico-political reflection on philosophy, politics, and history—a commentary over the Histories by the Roman historian Livy interwoven with additional ancient historical examples to ground his theory of political governance and development—The Discourses on Livy.

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Machiavelli’s Theory of History Machiavelli opens his Discourses on Livy by declaring that what will follow will be entirely revolutionary—“a path yet untrodden by anyone”—but then quickly backs down from such assertions, shifting his focus away from his own efforts to the modern views of the ancients, and leaving the nature of this revolutionary undertaking ambiguous (Discourses, 5).

Machiavelli's Discourses on Livy Notes on the Text by Jon Roland, digital editor. This rendition of Machiavelli's Discourses is taken from a translation attributed to Henry Neville, first published in 1675, and reprinted in 1772. We have corrected obvious typographical errors and misspellings that would have been considered misspellings in the 18th century.

Although many of the same ideas are contained in both The Prince and the Discourses, these two works differ significantly in emphasis because they discuss two different types of political systems. The Prince, is one of the first examinations of politics and science from a purely scientific.

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