Opposing Viewpoints Machiavelli versus Erasmus Essay

Machiavelli led us to a question that was continuously in disagreement. That question was â€Å"Is it better to be loved than feared, or vice versa† (p.392)? Machiavelli thought that one is to be loved feared. Nevertheless, at the same time it’s tremendously hard to achieve being both loved feared. Machiavelli believed that if one had to do without one of them that it would be a safer to be feared than to be loved. For example if a ruler was more loved than feared then if you served their men’s interest were also devoted to them they would promise you their blood, possessions, lives, children until you needed help because once you needed help you were on our own. If you’re more feared than loved then when you’re in trouble your†¦show more content†¦Erasmus believed in many characteristics of a good prince, a living similarity of God, who is at once good powerful. The prince has great goodness, which encourages him want to help a ll; his power allows him to do that. A good price must hold the life of each individual person more cherished than his own. He’s to work strive each every day night so that he can be the best for everyone. He’s to give incentives to all ‘good’ men he may not seek recompensation. He must look out for the well-being at great risk to himself. He is to remember that all of his wealth is in the hands of his nation. He’s to always be alert on watch so that all of his people may sleep without the fear of being invaded. The prince may not grant vacation to himself because he’s to always devote his life to peace of his country. He must do everything including the whole kit caboodle as well as allowing everything that can possibly bring never-ending peace to his country. In today’s world, I would have to say that the perspective of Erasmus is more modern contemporary. Just by rereading over all the characteristics that Erasmus as well as Machiavelli wrote, Erasmus’s is more comparable to what a ruler is supposed to be like in today’s society. Even though there are a few things in Machiavelli’s story that are comparable to today’s rulers in society, Erasmus had more things that were comparable. It is extremely difficult to say which